SSX: Snowboard Supercross
by SSXfanatic
Summary: (COMPLETED!) Roxanne Schultz, an SSX off-League snowboarder who has grown exhausted with the sport, is pressured to compete in an SSX Advanced League tournament. Throughout the tournament's events, however, she and a group of SSX veterans begin to uncover a disturbing truth concerning not only the Hidden Summit Mountain Range, but even the very tournament they're competing in.
1. Ch I: Lease on Life

**Chapter I: Lease on Life**

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><p>I ONCE READ SOMEWHERE ABOUT THE ALTAI MOUNTAIN RANGE.<p>

I have never been one for geography, but the snow-capped wonderlands had always captivated me. Found in central Asia, it's Turkic name means "Mountains of Gold," which I found quite interesting. I also never saw snow before in real life, so reading about it and looking at pictures were all I had. There were those 'snow-makers' that created this frozen white stuff when you inserted ice into this machine-thing that you could buy at Walmart. Even then, I was always told that the artificial snow paled in comparison to the real thing, a criticism which I found pretty funny because both snow and this cheap knockoff stuff were white! Get it? 'Pale' as in the color...nevermind.

Sometimes I pictured myself standing on that mountain's highest point, existing at the top of the world, not a single care in a million miles, yet never had I dreamed of barreling down the side of a mountain at 60 miles per hour balancing on what I imagined as cardboard.

Sadly, that is the reality of my situation.

* * *

><p>I am on Belukha, the highest mountain in Altai, during a snow storm in the middle of the cloud-covered day, marked as Racer #8 in the Altai Back-Country survival race event, one of the many subsidiary racing divisions in the SSX off-League. While most Snowboard Super Cross events are typically safe, most back-country races - off-League events in general - are extremely dangerous, especially when the weather doesn't make it easier. I don't mind it; the higher the risk, the larger the prize money.<p>

Out of the corner of my mind, I wonder how far in the race I am, as I continue to barrel down the side of this mountain. While keeping an eye on the rapidly changing landscape, no doubt dashing past any one of the hundreds of spectator video cameras hidden all around the mountain, I peer at the digital arm brace on my left arm. Next to my documented speed and position in the race, a percentage reads out at 48%. Of course, not even halfway through the track. I wipe bits of ice off of my board goggles and take a hard right before I shoot myself off of a cliff. I've been told time and time again that it works perfectly, but I still don't trust my wingsuit. Or my pickaxes, really. One thing I can stand firm by is the object locked onto my feet.

The SSX League regulation snowboard has changed multiple times over the past years, in some years updating faster than smartphone technology. Current models feature lock-in swivel bindings, controlled by wireless radio gloves. Press a certain combination of buttons on the fingers of your gloves, and your left or right binding opens out, releasing your foot. This allows you to preform a one-foot trick or, if done with both bindings, a no-foot trick, where the board must be held _TIGHTLY _in your hands. Another button combination will partially detach the base of one of the bindings, giving you the ability on a one-foot trick to spin the board around your foot, for example, an Amazing Spenco.

I turn toward the mountain, and ready myself for a jump ahead. I spring up before the edge of the snow ramp, attempting a forward flip. I grab the nose of my board, pressing a few buttons with the fingers in my left hand to release my back foot from the binding, and kick back as I flip forward. Tricks serve no advantage in back-country racing, being a main function in slopestyle, big air, superpipe, and speed trick events, but other than winning a race, tricks are the only other way to earn hype and potential sponsors. Wearing various logos for easy money is definitely in my best interests.

However, as I prepare to land the trick, I notice that I had overlooked the rider directly below me. Fortunately, he (or a she, maybe? You really can't tell with these heavy black suits) banks to the left, and I hit the ground next to him. Looking towards me, rider #13 kindly greets me with a hit to the neck, swinging his heavy glove-covered hand into my head. I keep my balance, grab onto his suit, and push him back as we approach a tunnel entrance into the mountain. I see the rider hit the wall of the mountain hard as I speed away. My arm brace acknowledges my passing by the racer as the placement counter beeps from 3rd to 2nd. One more, just one more to go now.

I dislike mountain tunnels. The only way out of one is through the only other exit, unless these natural hallways branch out, and then more often then not you choose a route that hurts your time in the race. I try to ride on all the ice I can as I look for any new tunnel that dips downwards, looking for a way out. At one point I enter a tunnel section where one side has no wall, but gives you a bird's eye view of an underground ice cave. Below me to the right I spot a lone snowboarder speeding precariously on a narrow ice bridge. I knew that this one rider, most surely the one in first place, stood between me and the event prize. Before I can think the situation over I find myself veering to the right, off of my ledge of ice and into the middle of the cavern. Soon after my leap I realize that I am going to fall short of the ice trail ahead, and will plummet deeper into the chasm. If I didn't think fast...

I reach for the handles on the sides of my waist, and pull them up to my head. My compact backpack, which is tied up and over my shoulders and around my waist, reveals a pair of wing flaps on either side of my upper body. Immediately after this I experience a huge thrust upward, the wind current inside the tunnel pushing against my wingsuit and towards the exit of the cave.

Out into the open air I spot rider #5, the rider in 1st place. As I glide towards my target, I release the wingsuit handles and tackle the snowboarder under me. I land back on my feet as rider #5 rolls out of control in the snow behind.

I look down at my arm brace. Overlooking the 1st place position marker, I look at the percent of the race completed. 83%. The mountain tunnel must have really helped out my position, but I knew what came next. The last part of the track on every back-country survival race features the worst terrain available, and riding through these dense sections trumps most half-decent snowboarders. Good to know I'm not just half-decent.

This last part of the race begins with a steep drop. I am able to keep my board on the snow as I swerve to avoid rock outcroppings blocking the path. Even as I jerk back and forth I accelerate to an incredible speed as I turn back and forth throughout the hill. As the angle of the hill straightens out, my pathway leads into the mouth of a massive canyon. My only option is to continue on ahead.

I journey deeper into the ravine, twisting and jerking side to side at every moment to avoid the frozen walls of the cliff around me. Periodically the position on my arm brace would fall back to third or fourth, and jump back up to the top. Position markers have always been somewhat faulty, and it makes it difficult to tell whether you're winning or in dead last. I reach a turn that slopes down, and gives me the view of a fissure up ahead. Everywhere else is blocked, my only way of moving forward is to either hop over the fissure, which is suicide - since the ledge on the other side is higher than the one I'm riding on - or stay on the track, which appears to bank upside down and back right side up on the opposite side in the form of a, a...

A corkscrew? In the middle of a canyon? ARE YOU SERIOUS? I have no idea what to do next, loops and other forms of inversions are typically rare on SSX tracks. I decide to keep my eyes open and shoot straight for the invert. The ice makes it nearly impossible to balance, the vertical and lateral G's throwing me in alternate directions. I sustain my balance, finish the loop, and stare back at the corkscrew as increasing distance causes it to disappear behind me. I look down at my brace again. "_93%_"

A single jump into nothingness appeared ahead. At the bottom of this bottomless fall must be the finish line, and with it, the prize money. With haste I approach the ramp, yet before I can begin the fall I suffer an extreme blow to the side. Another racer has caught up to me, who it is I can't say, but is very likely hell-bent on making sure I do not win this race. He holds on to my shoulders as we fall toward the finish hundreds of feet below, if not upright, then most certainly to our inevitable deaths. "_94%_"

If I don't shake this guy off now, it will be the end of me. I proceed with knocking him repeatedly in the head, without making even a mere scratch on his goggles. "_95%_"

Through the bits of snow and ice in the air, I see bright lights, focused on the pair of falling boarders above. "_96%_"

I persist with trying to shake this rider off, but to no avail. "_97%_"

As usual, I decide to try something dangerous. "_98%_"

I release the lock on my right foot, and bring my foot above the head of the snowboarder stuck to me. "_99%_"

With all of my lasting energy, I force my foot down, giving the rider a massive blow to the head. With ease I push him away, after possibly rendering him unconscious, and swiftly place my foot back into the binding. "_100%_"

My board hits the powdery ground with astounding power, nearly flinging myself into the snow ahead. I can barely stand upright as I cross the finish line.

For the first time, I hear the crowd, the forever screaming crowd, that surrounds the finish line. The announcer booms from the overhead speakers.

"Congratulations to Rider Number Eight! Number Eight will receive the first place prize for today's back-country race event!"

More racers complete the deadly descent behind, but the attention is all on me. A crowd of SSX fans come to hoist me up and bring me to the placement pedestal. Normally I try to avoid this, but I just didn't have the strength to do so today.

I stand on the First Place pedestal for several minutes, knowing that after all this commotion ends, after everything I have done, I will receive my prize. I will receive the money I so desperately need.

My three weeks lease on life.

END CHAPTER


	2. Ch II: Ride to Survive

**Chapter II: Ride to Survive**

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><p>MOST PEOPLE SAY MOTELS ARE COCKROACH-INFESTED SUB-PAR DILAPIDATED DWELLINGS. I SAY THEY KEEP A ROOF OVER MY HEAD.<p>

I slump through the narrow doorway of my new, temporary motel room, still wearing my bulky snowboard suit, goggles, helmet, and gloves, while carrying my board and a small suitcase in hand. I throw the board across the room, its thinly-waxed underside sliding on the dirty carpet until hitting the back wall. I throw my gloves in the general direction, along with my helmet, goggles, and, after several minutes of prying it off, my mess of a body suit.

I look to my side and stare at myself in the dusty mirror attached to the wall. If it weren't for my boring black hair that cascaded down my neck and around my shoulders, I could pretend that all of this wasn't real. I could overlook my terrible excuse for clothes, which made me look like an overly cheesy cartoon character, and I could even falsely accept that I wasn't dead broke all of the time, needing to put all of my being into an insane and dangerous sport, and then afterwards sending next to everything I win away...well, I guess I'm not mad about that. I'm just tired, that's all.

I start to unpack my suitcase. I take out my enormous sunshades, both lenses cracked, and set them on the nightstand with a thud. I remove my wallet, carrying only $750 from my $10,000 win, and place it next to my shades.

The rest of the cash must be on its way around the world by now.

Next came the rest of my ridiculous clothing, and all of my hygiene supplies - toothbrush, 'borrowed' toothpaste, a hairbrush, and the like. Anything that didn't run on electricity or couldn't be replaced by something in the motel had long run out.

Out of my pocket I pull out a crumpled picture. It was taken at the bottom of Belukha just hours ago, where all of the riders who made it down stood for a photo-op. If I recall, there were 17 registered riders in the Back-Country race event.

Including me, I saw only 14 riders in the picture.

I forget how extremely fatigued I am, and fall like a brick on a brick - my body on a pathetic excuse for a mattress. I didn't mind the terrible conditions of the rooms I stayed in; it will always beat sitting out in the cold.

As I attempt to fall asleep I allow my mind to wander...how much longer can I do this? Racing or competing in SSX's dangerous, minimally regulated but ever-so-rewarding off-League events...how much longer can I continue doing this? It's all a charade, a facade...something I wish I could retire. I recall that moment in the cavern, when I leapt from my ice tunnel into nothingness. Thinking back, I remember that I wanted to throw up, but I was unable to. It was as if I was a pumpkin, its insides scooped out and ready to fall off a table and squish flat because...there was nothing inside the pumpkin.

Yeah, I shiver at the possibility. Even with a bulky suit on, there isn't much defense from slamming into ice at high speed. I'll never fall asleep after a race like that. Most I can cope with by sleeping, but not today.

I'm in such an exhausted state that I barely hear the tough knocking at my motel door. Instead of moving from my slumber, I call out to the door:

"Who is it?"

A man answers, "I am looking for a Roxanne Schultz."

I take a moment to think...oh yeah. "This is she."

"I need to talk to you about a very important matter."

It's probably just the sleepiness talking, but I mindlessly say, "Okay, door's open." More like the lock doesn't work, but same difference.

The door creaks open revealing, to my surprise, a man in an expensive business suit. A strange sight to see around such a run-down motel.

I quickly sit up from my stone-solid bed. "Um, what seems to be the problem sir?"

The man's countenance remains unchanged behind his black glasses. "I saw you at Belukha today."

"Aha," I let out in understanding. I flip my hair to the side in complacency. "So...you're here to sponsor me."

"Actually, I am here with an offer."

My smile washes away. "Sorry, Mister, but I'll have to decline. Snowboarding is the only thing I do."

"Then think of it more as a...promotion." The suited man grins under his blank expression.

"Alright," I say, somewhat intrigued by the comment, "Tell me more."

He pulls out his wallet. "Roxanne, I am with the SSX League. I am on the Board of Contestant Registration." His wallet opens up to prove his claim, flashing a white ID card with the blue ice-colored SSX letters. "I am here to beseech for your attendance in an upcoming tournament."

Tournament? I've been in a few tournaments, I've even won one before. "That's funny. I search the Off-league SSX contests website frequently, and there hasn't been anything posted."

"That is because the tournament sponsor has requested for all information the event to be put on hold, up until now. This is also not an Off-league tournament, as you have competed in before. This is an official tournament of the SSX Advanced League."

"Advanced League?" I reply, "I thought those were for riders who had professional experience, and talent, and...SPONSORS." I gesture to this man, still a little irked he wasn't one. "I've never been part the actual League, let alone in Advanced. Why would you want me?"

He answers, "Tedd Batty himself requested you."

This takes me by surprise. Tedd Batty is the CEO and founder of the SSX League, let alone the man behind pretty much everything that has happened around the world involving a snowboard in the past 10 years. He's also a huge fan of the games himself, acknowledged as being a part of the audience in every big League event. How does he know about me?

The man continues on. "You see, Roxanne, in contestant registration, not only do we keep the records of any rider involved with SSX, but we WATCH these records on any rider. According to yours, you are one of the most successful off-League racers in SSX."

I wanted to respond, but there isn't a whole lot for me to say back.

"This is why we have decided to invite you, as the first off-League racer, to compete in a famous Advanced League SSX tournament."

Famous. The one word ignites a spark of anger within me.

I can't help but shout, "Look, MISTER, if you think I ride for THAT reason, just be out in the open, all famous and in the center and whatnot, you're in the wrong. I don't ride for the fame. Or the glory. Or the thrill, excitement, the 'wind in my hair,'" I fancifully shake my hands around, "hey, I don't even ride for the money! I ride to survive."

My face turns a heavy red. I'm amazed that I can dish out all this tension in the middle of the night. "Now, I want you and your tux out of my room, now, stat, immediately, ASAP!" With that I turn around to my nightstand to continue organizing my things.

"Did I mention the cash prize?" The man declares, obviously he hasn't budged from his previous position.

I keep my face turned away from his sight, and ask, impassively, "So? ...How much?"

"Enough for you to never have to snowboard ever again."

This conversation has taken a turn for the worse.

"Ms. Schultz, keeping and watching records on a rider gives you much insight on that person. Most people might not know it, what your...interesting situation could ever possibly be, but I do." I'm dead silent now. "I don't need to go into details, but your riding success has surpassed boarders with lasting experience and achievement, even those in the League for years, and yet you continue to register for mediocre off-League events, never having once in our database requesting to move up in rank."

I want to run away from this, but the man's unchanging tone has caught me in a bind. "And you might not think about it, but this sort of behavior DOES enlighten me. Am I right Roxanne...why, that reminds me...did you know that the use of a false identity is an infraction of registration?"

There. It doesn't mean much, hardly anything to anyone else, but to me, I have never felt more at a loss. I say anxiously, "Of, of course I do, and I...I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Now," the man replies, his impetuous voice increasing in magnitude, "Tedd made it very clear, _crystal_ clear, that he wanted to see the best of the _very best_ at this tournament. You might not love it, let alone even stand the sport, but you are one of the best off-League snowboarders SSX has ever seen. Now, are you in?"

What am I going to say? My entire existence as a backcountry snowboarder has been completely questioned in less than a minute. I always thought it was just me who knew everything. I sort of wanted to cry.

As a matter of fact, I do just the opposite. I turn around, look back at the well-dressed man, and spout out, with absolute confidence, "Am I in? Is that all? Please, it's going to take a lot more than an impending tone to scare me into begging for mercy."

The businessman questions, slightly jarred by my retort, "Well then...what is it you desire?"

I take another moment to think...one thing that pops into my mind is how Advanced League competitors are pampered to an extreme. If I'm stuck into giving in, I might as well go for broke. I begin my long list of hidden demands. "Hmm...the roof in this motel here is a little...short. I feel like crouching all of the time. I don't think I will be quite comfortable in a room like this anywhere else."

His frightening demeanor lightens as he catches on to my game. "I am sure you will be happy to comprehend that all tournament-live competitors are each assigned their own, personal, temporary suite."

I let a smile make its way onto my face as I reach for my throat. "And...wow, am I...parched? Or is that peckish? Hard to tell the difference, but I definitely feel the need to, to..._consume_ something."

"24 hour-a-day room service is included, along with access to free food and drink around the Summit." He adds, "Of course, given the vigorous competition, I wouldn't recommend gorging."

Interesting...I'm almost convinced at this point. "And, huh, that's odd...is, is that a draft I feel? I hardly believe what I'm wearing is suitable for winter travel."

"All clothing for competition and leisure in the Summit retail stores are free. To rent."

"Just one more thing." I say carefully. There is one last thing that might help me out. In the off-League I'm almost never entitled to knowing my competition, but for a major event such as this, I might have a chance. My eyes bore right through his black glasses. "I want to know who I'm up against."

"Then this is for you." He says, reaching deep into his suit jacket, and pulls out a gargantuous bundle of photos. "There isn't any written information accommodating the pictures, but I'm sure you'll recognize a few."

There had to be at least 30, perhaps 40, photos in this stack, each with a different person. Surely this is an incredible tournament if it will accomodate so many competitors. These photos also come from different tournaments, tours, and events, even from the early years of the SSX league when it officially started over 12 years ago. I begin to search through the mass of pictures.

Most documented racers I see are all either completely covered in a boarding suit up or just not memorable. The first one that catches my eye is a blond-haired woman in her late 20's, wearing a bright white long-sleeved shirt. The next was memorable for a different reason, a much younger man wearing a striped green shirt. The next I view is a Japanese teenage girl wearing an orange hat and panda backpack. The next catches me off guard, a black man wearing shorts with the design of the British flag. I almost drop the bundle of photos jumping at the next guy, a spiky-haired man with a white tank top and tattoos who should be in an insane asylum. A similar picture later on is more palpable, a spiky-haired woman with face paint. The list goes on and on, a girl with a dark orange shirt and a bandanna, a guy who I could barely see under a green parka, and, of all the age differences, a pre-teen kid.

Despite the man's assurance, the snowboarders were all unidentifiable to me. I don't remember seeing any of them in any race I have ever been in. But it is worth my time.

I stash the photos in my suitcase, and look up to the businessman, who has remained in his intimidating stance this entire conversation. He reads my expression before I can say it.

"Okay then. Count me in."

END CHAPTER


	3. Ch III: New Around Here

****Chapter III: New Around Here****

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><p>RIDING A SKY-CABLE CAR GAVE ME THE SENSATION OF FLOATING.<p>

I am so enamored by the fantastic spectacle of the landscape that I push out the thought of being suspended by two flimsy wires above. I - along with 14 others in the car, most of them visitors for the tournament - am approaching the top of a valley (which valley in Europe I cannot say, it's quite an enclosed location) surrounded by multiple towering mountains. From what I've been told, we are heading for the winter town...um...

All right, so I forget the name of the town. I turn to the guy beside me wearing a green hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses, with board goggles around his neck.

"Excuse me, do you know the name of the town this sky car is taking us?"

"Hmm?" I could see his rather expressionless face. Previously I considered he might have been asleep.

"The name? Of the town? That we're going to?"

"Oh. The name of the place is called the Summit, er, Summit something, I think." Wow, very imaginative. "There's supposed to be some sorta place for us to stay, like a hotel or something, right? I gotta crash now, I haven't slept for hours."

Wait a minute...this guy's green sweatshirt reminds me of the man I saw in the picture with the green shirt and hat. I pull out the stack of pictures from my new SSX backpack, a gift from the tournament official I met last week, and pull out the photo in question. In fact, he looks a lot like him, albeit slightly younger. The photos are from past events...maybe this is him today?

I speak aloud, "Wow, you look older than..."

"Um, What?" Oops. I realize my mistake at that point.

"Uh, well, I mean...hi. I'm Roxanne." I thrust my hand out in front of him.

"Okay. Name's Mac." He reaches for my hand, but instead of shaking it, Mac brings his back in the form of a slide and fist bump, or whatever it's called. Fortunately I'm not a complete loser and catch on to bump his fist back.

The lights in the car turn on above as we enter a mountain tunnel, man-made for the use of this sky-cable car cable-way. Curiosity strikes me again, "So, what is this going to be like, this whole tournament setup?"

Mac takes a moment to think. "Well, I guess there's going to be three different race tracks, like there usually is in an SSX tournament. I guess the first one will be tomorrow, then the next one the day after..."

"No no, I already know that, what I mean is like what are the tracks like, what's in these mountains, how many people-"

"You're new around here, aren't you?" I'm interrupted by a voice behind me. Mac and I turn around to see a tall woman in her 30's, wearing a tight bright blue winter outfit (Is she tall? I'm only 5'2", and she was at least a foot taller). If she had longer hair, she could pass for an older copy of the woman in that first picture I remember seeing, but I don't take the photos back out at this point in time. She smiles towards us. "Good to see you here, Mac."

"Hey, same to you Elise. Nice smile, I see you got rid of that whole 'blank face' thing you had going there last tour."

"Yeah, it never really helped out did it?" She turns to me with a less appealing grin.

I pause for a moment, and say, "Well then, I'm guessing you're both contestants, right? Maybe you can tell me what we will be riding on tomorrow."

Elise looks out the window. "Hey, I'm at a loss too, kiddo. For some reason the sponsor of this tournament hasn't allowed practice or even pictures of any of these brand-new courses on the four mountain peaks. Probably some excitement gimmick for viewers and audience if you ask me."

Kiddo? I dislike the title, since it reminds me of the bright, girly clothing I'm wearing, but I let the name slide. "So, what are we doing here then?"

Elise looks back to me. "We reach the summit town the day before to stock up and get ready. Everything you use in an Advanced League tournament is available to you before-hand, you know." I wonder if that's how she knew I haven't been to a tournament like this before. "Stick to me kiddo, I'll show you around, and who knows? Maybe we can work on something good for the slopes." She winks to me as she turns around to head back to a seat across the cable car.

_Work on something good? _This I don't let slide. "Now, hold on a sec, Elise!" She turns back to me. Slightly intimidated, I look to Mac for assistance, but he's asleep, his head pressed against the window. I let my frustration take over. "YEAH RIGHT I'm letting you do this! What, we met like, 30 seconds ago, and you wanna partner up? Just so you know, I'm not 'NEW AROUND HERE,' okay? I'm not some newbie to partner up with for a race and turn your back against in the end! I've probably been racing on the Off-league longer than you have on a set track. You don't stand a chance against me! I WILL TEAR YOU TO SHREDS."

Yeah, I exaggerated a little, and perhaps a bit too Khrushchev-esque? But Elise, whom I pictured qould be quite enraged, couldn't look happier.

"Then I made a excellent choice in my newbie. Just make sure you put on that poker face for the rest of them on the summit, it will work in your favor if everyone else thinks you're not worth knocking out. Like I said, I'll walk you about when we get to the town." And with that, she heads for the other side of the cable car towards some bags that she must have brought in for the trip.

That threw me for a loop. Not only does Elise effectively have me by her side for the rest of the day, but she probably thinks I'm so great that nothing I can say will get rid of her.

I peer out of the window. The sky car finally exits the tunnel for an amazing view at the hidden winter town below. As our car begins to descend towards the high-altitude land, I gaze out into the area around. Starting from behind the town, there are four incredible white mountains that ascended into the distance. The one to the very left is the shortest, while the next one to the right is taller than the two mountains on either side of it. The one to the very right has the second-highest peak of the four. I can barely make out a track on one that was near, the second-tallest one on the right, but the other three I could not identify anything.

Plus, if Mac and Elise are only two of the riders, I can't wait to see who's next.

END CHAPTER


	4. Ch IV: A Lost Cosplayer

****Chapter IV: A Lost Cosplayer****

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><p>OIL PRODUCTION? I THOUGHT NATURAL RESOURCE USE WAS A THING OF THE PAST.<p>

I mean sure, a large portion of the energy created today still comes from fossil fuels and natural gases, but this isn't the 20th Century. Nowadays it's more efficient to buy a hybrid or all-electric vehicle. More than half of all electricity creation is made by windmill generators, hydroelectric gravity dams, or solar panels. It's only a matter of time before natural resources are a thing of the past.

And yet, in the face of complete technological advancement, everywhere I look in the Summit town I see the distinct letter symbol "E.o.N." on TV screens, snowboards, even etched with paint in the snow. E.o.N. happens to be a prominent Western oil company.

I turn to Elise, whom I reluctantly have by my side. "What is with all of the "E.o.N." letters?"

Elise answers back, "E.o.N. stands for "Energy of Now," and the E.o.N. company is the sponsor for the tournament. I heard somewhere that it was the CEO's idea to sponsor the SSX tournament."

I think about the name. "E.o.N., huh? Like Eon? As...in the the amount of time ago it WAS the energy of now?" Yeah, the pun is poor, but it make us laugh.

Minutes ago Elise and I walked out of the sky-cable car and into the town of Hidden Summit. The town, possibly a refurnished ski resort town, is surrounded by several mountain peaks, the most-decorated four of which will be used in the _SSX Tournament Spectacular_, the official name of the tournament.

The first event, however, will not start until around 1:00 tomorrow, and every waking moment I spend before then will drive me insane. I twist around to Elise.

"Alright, Elise, we're here, so...now what do we do?"

Elise looks at me, "Is asking questions all you ever do?"

I start to speak up, but I stop myself. It is a little true.

"First of all, you need to know what you're wearing on the snow. What you're wearing..." She briefly checks out my cartoon-y, colorful outfit, "...will not cut it."

"Wait, what about a snowboarder suit? I wear those during events all the time."

Elise chuckles, "Yeah, those ugly things? Only off-League contestants wear those."

"Oh, I mean, yeah, I know that! So what, we can wear whatever we want?" I glance around the town and notice several shop windows advertising jackets and dresses. "Like, what we find at these clothing stores?"

"Pretty much everything, I guess. along with a few necessary items. What you wear and carry on the course can make you very popular with fans. Think of it as increasing your chances of success. You've seen videos or pictures before, haven't you?"

Thinking back, the pictures were a little out of the norm when it came to the clothing, but I didn't think that's what they rode in. I see different stores up ahead, and say, "Let's try this one first."

It turns out that SSX outfit stores really are the coolest kind. You can rent whatever you want inside them for free, and when you're done, you just give it all back. It's when you win it big that the stores make the money, taking what you wore on your divine run and selling it to fans at an exorbitant price, unless you want to keep the clothes for a still pretty hefty amount.

After a few different shops, we walk into a store named "_Party Style!_" where I don't care much for the name itself but for what I see in the store windows. A lot of the clothing is overly colorful and on par with a lot of what I've worn, which, even if I dread looking like I was cut out of a manga book, has kept me out of recognition. Inside the store stands two women, one that I distinguish as a Latino with dark blond hair and bright, tan skin and brown sunglasses, and a black woman with no hair. Noticing we had entered the store, the Spanish woman takes off her shades and calls out:

"Well well well, whatever do we have here?"

Elise growls back, "Why, isn't it the beautiful!...oh, wait. It's JUST MARISOL."

I walk over to the bald woman as the other two quarrel. "Um, these two know each other?"

The woman walks over to Elise and Marisol. "Mmmmm girl, you kiddin? These two have had a BEAUTIFUL relationship in past SSX tours!"

Elise pushes the woman away. "Stay out of this Seeiah. It's not MY fault if Marisol here is a sore loser."

"Oh PLEASE, _mujera_," Marisol looks as if at any moment she would break into a barrage of Spanish phrases. "I left the tour _b_ecause I _b_ecame _b_ored of _b_eating your _b_ig _b_utt!"

Elise wipes her cheeks, "Keep spitting, honey, I just might find a school of fish in the ocean on my FACE!" She turns to walk out. "I'm done here Roxanne, if you want to risk your life here longer, suit yourself. I'm next door." She slams the glass doors shut.

I turn to Seeiah and Marisol. "Um, just so you girls know, I'm...not exactly affiliated with her. I'm here to shop."

Seeiah comes close up to me. "Oh, I can tell sweetie. My oh my, what just walked through our front door?" I can't tell what she's talking about at first, but then I understand she is talking about my clothes. "Daaanng, girl, you like a lost _cosplayer_! On your way to _Comic-Con_!" All through this joke, both Marisol and Seeiah are cracking up. Truthfully, I couldn't blame them, it's rather an odd choice of clothing style for a 17-year-old.

After a while they finally calm down. Marisol is the first to be calm enough to speak. "Oh, don't worry darling, we will fix all this up. We got this winter robe that will really set with those beautiful green eyes of yours."

Seeiah, also calm enough, joins in. "Yeah, sweetie, we goin make you sexy, eye-catching, and totally gorgeous!" She snaps her fingers in the shape of a Z.

'Sexy, eye-catching, and totally gorgeous' are exactly what I dislike. I confront Marisol and Seeiah before they run off for stuff to push against my figure. "Sorry girls, but...I sorta need to keep this...style going. It's...sort of special to me?" I can tell that both these women don't believe me, so I try to act more sincere. "Is it at all possible for you nice women to keep me looking like this, but with all of your pretty stuff, pretty please?"

Marisol and Seeiah are extremely unwilling, but after long enough they cave in. After an hour and a half of what felt like years of choosing between individual items, trying stuff on, and getting a shade lighter or darker for an already okay color, I finally had an outfit. The two escort me to a wall mirror.

"So how about it, girl?" Seeiah asks, "How does it suit?"

I actually really like what I see. My favorite part of the outfit thing is the board goggles, which look more like my enormous sunshades than my boring snowboarding goggles, and without any cracks like my regular sunglasses. My tiny white shirt is ruffled and knotted in all sorts of ways, and shows off my arms, shoulders and my neck. The outer red glove skins on my hands, which I will put over my normal radio-board gloves, smoothly mix into my skin-colored undershirt. My shorts are...very short, not even a foot down my waist. I also wear a blue skirt that comes many inches above my knees, but it's only half a skirt, completely covering my left thigh but not my right whatsoever. Even my elbowpads and kneepads are remarkable, coiling around my joints like red snakes. The red kneepads melted into the bluish purple on my stunning boots.

Marisol finally asks, "Well, tell us, _chica_! What do ya think?"

"You know sweetie, we can add anything else if you'd like." Seeiah exclaims, also stifling her excitement about my outfit.

I think about the cold air outside. "I'm going to be warm enough, right?"

Seeiah reassures me, "Don't worry about it, the cold ain't no thing. The under shirt and pants armor only looks like skin, but it keeps you mighty toasty."

After some contemplation, Marisol says, "You know, we have the velvet earmuffs somewhere that would just look _fantastico_ around you..."

I look at them through the mirror, "No girls, it's okay. In fact, I really really love this. I can't thank you enough." And I really can't. I haven't looked this great in anything for a long time, and yet it's still far away from my taste. I am without a doubt going to give this race my all.

Even if I do still look like I walked out of a video game.

END CHAPTER


	5. Ch V: Right on Baby

**Chapter V: Right on Baby**

* * *

><p>ADVANCED LEAGUE TREATMENT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING I CAN LIVE WITH.<p>

Five minutes ago, I was carrying several bags (both Marisol and Seeiah suggested one weighty bag for each piece of clothing) out of _Party Style!_, and it made it difficult to walk, especially with the boots in the bag on the very right side. As I was walking out of the store, a middle-aged distinguished man in black pants and , was waiting outside.

The man, who had a name tag 'Charles' on it, stated, "Excuse me, Ms. Schultz, I shall take those of your hands."

At the time, I hadn't recognized the man as a butler, so I hid the bags behind my back. "Okay, seriously, I didn't even buy these, and you want to steal them from me?"

"Calm down, kiddo." Kiddo...clearly Elise had shown up. I looked toward her as she walked near the man and said, "I asked Charles here to take your stuff to your room at the Hidden Summit Resort."

I turned around spotted the enormous building behind me, a five-star resort in the middle of a snow dream. "Why there?"

"Well duh," Elise said, "that's where we're staying for the next three days! Well...as long as you qualify for the next race. Then it's just tonight."

I looked back at Charles. "Fine then...You'll take them to my room?"

Charles took the bags from me. "I'm certain you will find everything accounted for in your suite, Ms. Schultz."

After this event, the two of us kept walking around Hidden Summit, finding all sorts of stores ranging from gift shops and bookstores to Candy shops and Map kiosks as Elise continues to lead the way.

She points to the snow-covered walkway ahead. "We need to go to this snowboard gear store. I know the owner, he will definitely help-"

"Hey, how about this?" I interrupt her sentence and point to a store to the left. The store had the name "_It's Tricky!" _in colored letters surrounded by an orange backboard.

Elise takes one glance at this store and says, "Oh no, we can't go in this store - ANYWHERE but this store. I'm sure somewhere..."

But I already head towards the entrance, and Elise has no choice but to follow behind. Upon entering the store I see several TV screens placed all over the shop walls, but it appears that this compact vender sells only one item: a book titled "_Get Tricky!_" I pick one book up and look at the cover, a 3D image of a man wearing bright clothes and an orange wig...or a hat...is that hair? Anyways, he holds his board, flipped upside down, to his feet in midair. The name 'Eddie Wachowski' appears at the bottom, whom I guess is the author and the person on the cover.

In front of me a TV plays an intro with funky music, and shows this Eddie doing a series of impossible tricks; one of them where he spins the board in front of his nose and another where he does the Worm on the top of the board. As he performs the tricks, Eddie screams onscreen a series of shout-outs, such as 'oh yeah' and 'right on baby!' in midair, to the point where it is somewhat annoying. My attention, however, is diverted to something else.

"Excuse me, Miss, do you know how much this book costs?" I look to my left to see a young adult, dressed in complete snowboarding outfit attire. He must be a HEAVILY sponsored rider, what with all of the symbols and words woven onto his red and white shirt and pants. He holds out one of the trick books the store sells.

"Do I look like I work here?" I retort, taken back by the question itself, although I might be a little jealous with how many sponsorships he's received.

Elise finally makes it through the store entrance. "Hello Griff, is that you?" She must be talking to this guy with the book.

"Wow Elise, nice to see you came! Man, do we look good or what?"

They both laugh, which I thought was strange considering his last comment. I stare at his messy yellow-blond hair...most likely, if he has been boarding long enough (with all the sponsors, obviously he has), this Griff character would be the same 10-year-old I saw in the pictures.

Elise continues conversing, "Well, you sure have done well with snowboarding, Griff, glad to see you made your way back to SSX!"

"Thanks, Elise." Griff turns to look at me. "Sorry about that; you're obviously in the tournament if you're walking with the Queen herself. I'm Griff Simmons. Who are you?"

"I'm Roxanne, I'm...also wondering what this book is about." I gesture to the book in his hands. "I'm going to go find whoever owns this store-"

"TOO LATE! Already here." I spin around, and am surprised that I hadn't noticed the man with the giant orange afro, the same person from the video and the book. He snaps his fingers and points in our direction. "Look at you Elise! Where you been baby?"

Elise looks away. "Back off, Eddie. Like I said before, you missed your chance."

"Um, chance at what?" I ask. It's amazing that Elise knows just about every person in this mountain range.

She walks up to Eddie. "Eddie and I had it made; we were the best snowboarder duo in the _Tricky Tour_, and just before _Triple Peak_ began, he decided to run off!"

"I told you baby, I had to spread the word! Ever since that incredible tour ended, the tricks on the slopes have never been the same. Am I right, girly?" He looks at me. "You know what I'm talking about, right?"

As a matter of fact, I actually somewhat do. On my way to this Hidden Summit town, I decided to stock up on any past SSX info I could find.

SSX was founded twelve years ago, first as a snowboard company that also started it's own boarding league. A year later, however, they pushed to have the first snowboard tour, with racecourses and boarding events around the world. This idea became reality the following, with the first _SSX_ _Tour_. After the tour, months of development brought new designs of the snowboard forth, and by changing the bindings, adding swivel features, latches, and all other sorts of behind the scenes add-ons, severely insane and radical tricks could be performed, tricks that no one in the world perceived as possible before. SSX brought back the tour two years after _SSX_, and branded it the _Tricky Tour_.

While the _SSX Tour _made SSX world-renowned, the tour from eight years ago made SSX world-FAMOUS. Not only were you trying to make it down the mountain fastest, but doing tricks, the impossible stunts christened as "uber tricks," also helped your race time, making it possible to finish in 3rd but have enough points racked up from doing tricks to earn the 1st place medal. There were also new events such as Slope-Style; doing the best trick run down the track earning you the coveted #1 spot. By the end of the _Triple Peak Tour_, the third SSX tour held six years ago on one enormous mountain, most snowboard designs for special tricks were prohibited.

There is still a large collection of possible uber tricks that can be done, but I still don't see why any of this is relevant to a racing tournament.

Eddie takes a book from the shelf and opens it. "Look here: you got all of your standard grab descriptions here," he shows me a picture of a board with numbers, circles, and other symbols. "Grabs like Melon, Cannonball, Tindy, and Rocket Air." He flips through the pages. "You got one-foot tricks like Kickin A, that's Elise's favorite right there." Elise rolls her eyes. "Then you got some cool hand grab tricks, and the more complex ones over here are the uber tricks."

I take the book from his hands and read some names. Can Can, Coffin Roll, Benihana...these are all uber tricks I've never heard of. I skim through the rest of the pages. Ubergrinds, famous veterans' signature uber tricks, handplant tricks, crazy combos, the book has it all, including step-by-step instructions on how to pull them off. But I put the book aside.

"What I don't understand Eddie is that this is a RACING tournament, no slopestyle or big air events. If there won't be any points administered in this tournament, why bother with tricks?"

"Why, let me show you!" From his back pocket Eddie pulls out a black pen...well, more like an obese pen with a rubber grip. After handing it to me he backs away, taking Griff and Elise with him. "Now, when you're ready, press and hold the green button on the top."

"Sure, why not..." I say nonchalantly. What can a pen do anyways? However, when I push the button, and extreme blast of hot air rushes from the bottom of the pen, forcing my hand into the air. I let go of the button on top before the pen pulls my arm off.

"What the hell, Eddie! Are you trying to kill me?" I breathe heavily, feeling as if I had taken a punch to the stomach.

Eddie runs over and takes the pen. "No-no-no, girly, don't you see? This is SSX's brand new comeback tool!" To my horror, he takes out a second fat pen from his back pocket. "These are Super Boosters. The _SSX Tournament Spectacular _will be the first SSX event ever to use these. When someone performs a trick, let's say you do some grab to rail, tournament officials down in the booths will classify what you did, and give you an additional amount of time of Super Boost that correlates to the trick you pulled off. Connected to a tournament standard racing backpack, these babies can hold nearly twenty minutes of constant boost, more than enough for a single race!"

I cross my arms against my stomach. "Well, I'm not convinced yet."

Eddie's jaw drops. "Aw, what more do I need to say? Learn the tricks, do the tricks, go faster, win the race..." He turns around to a woman with brownish hair and reading glasses holding a book and takes it from her hands. He holds it out to us. "BUY MY BOOK!"

The woman is shocked by Eddie, and snatches the book back from him. "HEY! Buy your own book!"

"What? I OWN the place, woman!"

"Woman?" She reacts, "My NAME is Allegra. And...buy your own book!" She storms right past us and through the front glass doorway.

Eddie looks back to me. "Well, what do you say, girly? Didn't you see how much she LOVES her book?"

He is right. Griff, that Allegra girl and any other person that buys this book will have an advantage in the race. It wouldn't be so bad if this were happening in the off-League, but if I want any chance of beating out hardened Advanced League racers, I'll have to pull off any interesting tricks I can. But buy the book myself? I haven't bought something that wasn't a necessity in so long...well, perhaps, if this book is the key to improving my chances, it IS a necessity. IN any case, an exception has to be made.

"Okay Eddie. I'll take one."

END CHAPTER


	6. Ch VI: Bad Apple Product

**Chapter VI: Bad Apple Product**

* * *

><p>THE SUN HAS ALREADY SET, AND IT'S ONLY 6 PM.<p>

The towering mountains shroud the sky and the sun from view, so we have to do the rest of our looking around in the shade. We enter the snowboard gear store Elise wanted us to go into.

Inside I meet face to face with a tall man wearing silver glasses and a Yin and Yang symbol shirt. He walks toward us, opening his arms out.

"Welcome to my store. I hope you will find whatever fits your needs." He speaks in a very tranquil voice.

Elise speaks first. "Hello Brodi. How has the universe treated you?"

"Ah, the universe has certainly pulled in my favor today, Ms. Riggs."

"Aw, c'mon..call me Elise. I think we've known each other long enough." She gestures to me. "My friend here needs some help. It's her first Advanced League Event tomorrow."

I hold my head sheepishly. "Hi, I'm Roxanne. What...exactly is it I need, anyways?"

"Why don't you come with me, I shall show you in person."

Brodi takes us near the back of the store. All around the room, set on the walls and positioned on glass tables, are numerous gadgets, devices, and other various items that I'd expect to find in a _Mission: Impossible_ movie. I actually recognized a few of the stuff, though, such as oxygen tanks and headlamps, most that I've had to use at some point during certain events.

In the off-League, there are a couple items that are required for competition. While a snowboard and binding-control gloves are no-brainers, a pair of pickaxes and a wing suit are almost always on the list. In more dangerous events, body armor, a headlamp, an oxygen mask, or heat suit might be necessary to meet the requirements. A digital arm brace, the device that gives you placement status, speed, and percentage of the race completed are also common in the off-League. While I'm certain that the SSX regulation riding backpack, which wraps around your shoulders and waist and stores your pickaxes and wing suit, will be needed for the tournament, I'm not sure at all what will be included for an Advanced League event.

In the back corner of the store, Brodi picks up an item from the shelf. "I'm sure these are required by tournament rule to wear." He holds up the bright white long-sleeved shirt, pants, suit, thing. It has a red plus sign on the front.

"Wow...what is it."

Elise feels the shirt. "This is the new Life Support protection suit." She says. "You wear this and you won't get your neck broken if you fall."

"Very wise insight." Brodi states. "While all SSX snow tracks are supposed to meet all safety requirements for riding," (In that case, Belukha OBVIOUSLY isn't one of them) "this special suit, completely concealed by whatever outfit you may sport, will support your body in a bad fall, collision, or anything else that can cause harm, decreasing the chance of injuring yourself significantly, no matter how terrible the crash. The suit shall be given to all riders prior to the race."

So...I have been riding through dangerous back-country events without one of these on? NOW he shows me!

He puts the suit back, and shows us more special stuff, from unique pick ax designs, gadgets, breathing units, and wingsuit waist backpacks, with a protective sheath on the back to carry pickaxes. I grab everything I can carry.

Near the back of the store, I spot these large headphones with a mic at the end on a pedestal. "Cool. What can you tell me about this?"

Brodi picks the large electronic device up. "This is a dual headphone version of the new M-comm, or mountain communicator. There are several types of M-comm designs, from these to smaller versions. Any type of M-comm, however, is required to compete in every race."

An M-comm? "I've never heard of one of these before."

Elise takes a pair of earbuds and microphone out of her pocket. "M-comm's have been around since the _Triple Peak Tour. _You can hear the booth music, your iBuddy, and whatever anyone else says around you, given that you're close enough to them." The pair of earbuds and microphone must be another version of the M-comm.

"Um, iBuddy? That sounds like a bad Apple product."

Brodi places the mega headphones back on the stool. "It's the nickname for your eye-in-the-sky, someone who watches the course ahead and whatever may happen. During this tournament, these lookouts will replace the electric arm bracelets that are standard in most other events." I remember the brace I wore at Belukha, but the idea of getting my own live support is enticing. He puts the headphones back on the tall table. "I can get you a pair like Elise's if you'd like."

"Oh no, I want those." Both Elise and Brodi are confused when I point at the elephantine gadget. I like the idea of covering up for outside, and the headphones look comfortable too.

"Well...to each their own." Brodi looks up as I grab the headphones from the table. "Now if you will excuse me, I must deal with a, er...customer disturbance." He hurries over to two guys, one frightening man with spiky brown hair and a green jacket and the other a black man with dreadlocks.

Brodi stops the incessant quarreling. "Now, what seems to be the problem here?"

The spiky-haired man shouts out first. "This IDIOT here won't keep his hands off my girl!"

"OY, this bumbling buffoon won't keep his hands off MY girlfriend!" The black man says, with a definite British accent.

Then it hits me. Once again I pull out the packet of pictures and sift though the photographs. The British dreadlocks guy and the scary other one are two more from the photos in my possession, the accent giving way to the British flag shorts. The other isn't AS scary as the older photo of him, but it's still creepy enough to resemble him.

And I wonder...how do they bring an argument like that into a snowboard gear shop?

Before they break loose into more yelling, Brodi says, "Please, Moby and Psymon. Find your inner peace...or GET OUT OF MY STORE." Whoa. That last phrase definitely sounded out of character to me.

Both Moby and Psymon leave the store. Elise turns to me.

"We should probably head out too, kid. It's not late, but I need my rest for tomorrow. Same for you?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Elise walks out the glass door. I go to follow her, but Brodi stops me.

"Wait Roxanne." He takes off his glasses. "It's not of my nature to meddle, but I sense you are having some...deep troubles of your own."

"What? No! That's not, um, eh..." Anxiety gets the best of me as I can hardly enunciate.

"Breathe," Brodi tells me. "I just want to bid you good luck on your journey ahead. May you solve any trouble you come across."

I stand silent for a moment, and say, "Wow, that's, nice of you! Thank you Brodi."

With a last goodbye I walk out of the store and head for the hotel, carrying my trick book, M-comm, and other gadgets in my bag, which is much easier to carry than the swarm of clothing bags before. My first Advanced League racing event is tomorrow, and I am sure of one thing.

I am in need of some spiritual SLEEP.

END CHAPTER


	7. Ch VII: That's a HotTub

**Chapter VII: That's a Hot-tub**

* * *

><p>I'VE HEARD OF HEDGE MAZES, BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS.<p>

After two hours of constant walking I have STILL not found my hotel room. This Hidden Summit Resort is ginormous, I've already tried 5 different floors and 5 times that many rooms. The numbers on my hotel key are completely off.

Finally, on the 7th floor, my card key gives a green signal on a hotel door lock down the hall. I turn the knob and enter.

I drop everything I carry, my book, gear, and other items, at the sight of the living area. Everything looks so...EXPENSIVE! I run around the spacious room. I've not seen any of this stuff in person in a while; flat screen TV, personal refrigerator, circle pillow bed, the list goes on. The decorations across the floor, carpet, and tall ceiling are extravagant. This is hands down the nicest hotel room I've ever stayed in my whole life!

I should probably try to calm down here...beside myself being in complete awe of the luxury of this resort, I keep close the fact that I have a very important race tomorrow, let alone a very important race against a whole _39 other riders_. Elise had told me this would be a 40-player elimination event. I'm not entirely certain what that entails, but if it's really 40 snowboarders on a single track, it's going to be the largest race that I've ever competed in. If I don't qualify for the next event, there won't be any more of this. The smart thing to do will be to find my luggage, unpack, get ready for bed and HOLY CRAP THAT'S A HOT-TUB IN MY BATHROOM.

* * *

><p>Instead of doing what I planned, I rest in three and a half feet of heated water and jet bubbles, surrounded by billowing steam. Upon further inspection, I came to the decision that it is more of a large bath rather than a hot-tub, but I let the nomenclature slide. I've been so accustomed to cheap motel showers that I have forgotten what really hot water in a hot-tub felt like.<p>

For a while now, I've been glancing through the pages of Eddie's Trick Book. I highly doubt that many of these tricks are remotely possible, especially the ones where you completely let go of the board and spin around or something, even though I have done similar tricks before. After several minutes of dozing off, I set aside the book and pick up the hotel room telephone that I installed in the bathroom. I also grab at the room service menu, which I had placed on the tile floor, and hold it in my other hand. I dial the number on the menu.

After a moment of ringing, a man answers. "Hello, may I take an order?"

"So, let me get this straight," I ask, sitting up inside the bathtub. "24 hours a day, any day of the week, you people in that kitchen of yours will serve me and anyone else in this resort anything from this menu, all free of charge?"

"Well, I work shifts, but yeah, for as long as you stay here that's true."

"Wow, it's incredible how much service this tournament puts out, it must cost a fortune."

"Blame the ticket costs for audience seating," the voice says, "and the pay-per-view. Now, how about that order?"

"Oh, right." And I begin my long, long order. In retrospect I should have ordered a little of everything, but I ask for the essentials: watermelon, steak, caesar salad, and blue cheese, anything I love that I can't remember eating I a while. After setting the phone back down, I remember one last thing, and swiftly pick the phone back up.

"Wait! Sorry, but I have one more thing I really really want to have, please?"

The man at the other end of the line sounds uneasy. "Uh...what is it?"

"Okay, I know this is a little off the menu, but I see you guys have both pancakes and eggs listed here. Is there any way you can make one pancake, but with the scrambled eggs cooked inside, so when you cut the pancake there's little scrambled egg pieces inside?"

I get a loud answer. "WHAT? What kinda recipe are you putting on me?"

"Yeah, I know it's peculiar, but could you? It would mean a lot to me."

* * *

><p>I'm sitting on my bed when most of the food makes it to my room. The tastes of everything are absolutely sublime compared to the Top Ramen and fast food I've been living off of. I'm almost full when the pancake arrives, with dispensable syrup and butter. scrambled egg bits were cooked right inside the batter.<p>

After putting everything on the pancake, I cut out a piece and take a bite, but I find it extremely difficult to force the food down the back of my throat. The pancake is delicious. It's just the way I remembered it, and it makes me feel sick. Homesick.

The man from the phone will be outraged if he ever finds out I threw the rest of the pancake away.

Depressed and worn-out, I decide to watch something on the mammoth TV screen in front of my bed. When I turn the screen on with the touch-screen remote, the words "Board Graphics Customization" appear on the TV, along with my snowboarder's info, giving my name, birth date, and other identifications. The outline of a black snowboard slowly spins around on one side of the screen, with selectable boxes around the board that represent colors, pictures, and decals.

I scan the room from top to bottom. I didn't notice it before, but my snowboard is the only thing that never made it to my room. Perhaps the tournament officials keep it themselves and give them back before the race. In fact, this program on the TV must allow me to customize what my snowboard will look like on the peak.

"This is amazing, "I say aloud, "you can actually create what you want to have on your board as graphics?" I wait for an answer from around me, but nothing presents itself.

I really do ask a lot of questions.

After choosing a simple white and blue ice texture design, I finally turn everything off in my suite and get under the multiple covers of the circle bed. I need to fall asleep now, I can't afford to waste any extra time.

I have too much riding on tomorrow to mess up.

END CHAPTER


	8. Ch VIII: Practically Sweating Enthusiasm

**Chapter VIII: Practically Sweating Enthusiasm**

* * *

><p>I FEEL LIKE A SINGLE GUMBALL INSIDE THE MIDDLE OF ONE OF THOSE GIANT GUMBALL MACHINES.<p>

I'm standing in a large crowd located in front of the tournament commencement stage. Although there are only 40 snowboarders competing in the race, there are hundreds upon hundreds of fans, reporters, and random bystanders standing outside in the snow. And I get to be right in the middle of it.

I plow through the masses, looking for a familiar face. I haven't seen Elise today, no doubt she is in a much better position than I. Suddenly I hear an ardent voice from behind me.

"Hey, you're one of the people from the '_It's Tricky_!' store, right?"

I twist my head to see Allegra, the girl whose book was nabbed temporarily by Eddie. She's another person, along with Elise, Griff, Psymon, and Moby, that I have identified from the photos. "Yeah, I was there. Allegra, is it?"

"Allegra Sauvagess, that's me." She points to her chest. "So I take that you're also a racer today?"

"That's right. Not exactly sure how we get up there, though." I gaze at the Peak One mountain top, the mountain I had identified as the right-most mountain of the four on my up to Hidden Summit. The numbers for the peaks go down the line; to the left of Peak One is Peak Two, the third-tallest, followed by Peak Three, the largest in the tournament, with Peak four at the far left being the shortest.

"Oh, it's very simple. Everyone is taken to the top via the transport helicopter." She points at the massive red machine to the right. "I'm going to get a window seat; I want to see as much of the track as I can."

"Great idea," I say pretty half-heartedly. I don't find Allegra boring or weird, it's how she is practically sweating enthusiasm that causes me to lose interest in talking with her. "I'll have to catch up with you later, I...have to meet with someone I promised to talk to."

"All right then, Roxanne, I'll see you on the Peak!" I say goodbye and continue my search for ANYONE ELSE that I have met before. I finally spot the blond-haired guy, who was also in the Tricky Store yesterday.

"Hi Griff," I say out to him.

He answers back in a friendly voice. "Hey Roxanne. Good sleep last night I bet?"

"Definitely, no distractions or anything!" My mind wanders to the hot-tub in the bathroom. I don't know why, but I actually imagine my brain sitting back in the hot water, putting it's hands behind it's cerebral head while relaxing amid the heavy mist of steam. I pull my mind back into the current scene ahead. "What's going on out here?"

"I think the CEO of E.o.N. oil company is going to give a speech. Tedd Batty will be up there too."

"Well, I hope I get the chance to talk to him. I have to 'thank' him for something." Despite all of the cool stuff I've seen on Hidden Summit, the whole either-be-here-or-you're-in-big-trouble thing the tuxedo man pulled off I look down upon, and the executive of the SSX League is the reason why that ever happened.

"Tell him I said hi while you're there." Griff says sarcastically.

I look at him with a questioning glance. "What, a hard guy to talk to?"

"Not only that, but he's leaving for Japan on business." He holds his hand to his mouth and speaks quietly. "Don't say anything, but I've heard that there's preparations for a new SSX Tour."

That's not surprising. There hasn't been an SSX Tour for four years. Not since the last one...

"Now I thought Tedd always stayed at these things, even during something like that."

"From what I can remember, this is the first Advanced League tournament he's skipping out on." Very strange. Why would he do that now?

The crowd around us simmers down as the executive of E.o.N. walks on stage. Roger Nichols, I'm told that's his name, has brown hair and sideburns. Other than that, he is wearing a nice black and white suit, like all of the other businessmen I've seen in the past...week. Nichols stands at the podium and begins his speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Hidden Summit." He takes the mike off of the podium stand and paces the stage. "Now, as the sponsor of this SSX event, I want to say a few things about me and where I stand. In the past few years, renewable energy has increased in popularity, many forms of vehicles and machines have begun to make the switch. I too am a major supporter of the move. However this...speculation around renewable fuel COMPLETELY replacing fossil fuel energy has hurt the stocks of my own oil company, E.o.N. If there's one thing I dislike, it's rumors. And despite the rumors, production and distribution of natural resources is still high in demand, and business for my company is greater than ever." I guess I had underestimated E.o.N., but I'm just not a fan of the whole management conference discourse. "To prove that my company is not only in positive climb, but is also making a transition to a cleaner renewable resource basis, my company is sponsoring the _SSX Tournament Spectacular_!"

There is a lot of applause to that, I even find myself clapping to his speech. "And on top of this," Nichols continues, "all means of energy for this SSX tournament are and will be produced through renewable means, the true Energy of Now!" Still more applause.

After the commotion dies down, Tedd Batty enters the stage, the first important person I see not decked out in a business suit, but more causal clothing. He takes the mike from Nichols. "Thank you, Roger Nichols. As I had said to Nichols before, I wish I had the pleasure of also meeting his brother, Jack Nichols, who helped with the Inspection of Safety for the three Peaks. Sadly, he is out of town for the moment being, and I shall be gone when he arrives back here in the region." He gestures to Nichols. "In light of this, any thanks shall fall on this man, the very reason this tournament has taken place. We wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for him today."

Batty begins to clap, and with him the entire crowd around me. He gives the mike back to Roger Nichols and exits the stage.

"Thank you, Mr. Batty. Now, before I commence today's exciting race, there are important details I must share with the competing members out here right now." He takes out a sheet of paper and looks over it as he talks on. "All of you competing today shall be handed a Life Support protection suit to wear out of sight under your riding outfits." He holds out one of the shirt things Brodi had in his store, with the Red Cross symbol on the front. "In case of intense impact or probable danger, the suit shall act as complete protection from broken bones, such as the neck or spine, as well as any other internal problems. Also, in case you are lost and out of sight from track officials, my team up in the Peak Three tower," he points to the top of Peak Three, where a large building can be seen built as part of the very top of the mountain, "will be able to find you with it on, no matter what."

He hands the suit to a man offstage. "Lastly, I believe, are the rules: 40 racers in this first event, the Peak One race. The first 20 to finish move on to the Cross Peak race event tomorrow. The first 10 to finish in that event stay move on the Peak Three race event, and 1st place in this last event shall be the overall winner of the tournament. You will be able to use a wingsuit, although continuous use of flight during any section of the snowboard races is against the rules. The Super Boosters - this tournament being the first to use the incredible SSX gadget - along with the pickaxes, shall not be used as a weapon to directly hit someone with, but all other forms of combat to attack other riders are permitted. Now," Nichols steps back to the center of the stage. Hundreds of fireworks behind him and sparklers all around burst off in fantastic forms as he states:

"Let the _SSX Tournament Spectacular..._BEGIN!"

END CHAPTER


	9. Ch IX: Nothing Can Prepare

**Chapter IX: Nothing Can Prepare**

* * *

><p>THE PEAK THREE TOWER IS A FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF NOTHINGNESS.<p>

Seriously, the third peak building is so high, it must have it's own climate. And it's own time zone. Looking at the fortress built into the top of the mountain to my right is like viewing a single picture in an enormous empty art room. There really is nothing else to look at.

But right now, I'm standing atop the Peak One mountain, surrounded by giant TV monitors and audience seating arenas, all of them bursting with screaming people. The mountain top itself is covered by giant panes of glass and ice shaped in the form of flower petals, as if we standing in the middle of a bowl-shaped flower made out of ice. I hear an overhead voice call out my name.

"Starting at Gate 24, rider Roxanne Schultz!" More unremitting shouting from the stands. I see myself in one of the giant screens, a girl with black goggle sunglasses covering her eyes, enormous headphones hanging around her neck, wearing a white petite shirt, black short shorts, a small blue half-skirt around the top of her left leg, red elbowpads and kneepads and bluish-purple boots. A special room at the bottom of the peak allowed us riders to change into our snowboard gear and outfits prior to the journey via helicopter up to the top. I wave and try to smile out to the fans all around me. The overhead voice moves on to the next rider.

It's 12:30, I think, but the race itself doesn't start until 1:15. I read in an SSX pamphlet that the early readiness is for the riders to have any pre-game conversation. All of whatever anyone might say in the starting arena is be recorded and can be televised live, something to sort of give way to the audience about rivalries, allies, and tensions for the race. Other than that, you can see the racetrack in front.

But what's there to see? The entire platform that all of the gates and riders are on is in the shape of a circle. All forty gates are positioned on the outside of the circle, every gate facing away from the middle. To add to this, each gate leads into a single ice pathway, each a deep corridor that gives a rider no ability to maneuver into another rider's ice pathway. All of these ice paths travel into forty separate tunnels that head downwards, each tunnel exclusive to one rider. Where these tunnels lead to, I can't tell; the tunnels disappear at the base of the giant petals of ice, which cover any view of the rest of the mountain, in fact, they cover the view of everything except the the Peak Three mountain top and tower.

"I have to say, you look pretty hot!" My observation of the little bit of track I see is interrupted by the low voice. I turn around, and am startled to see that the low voice belongs to a woman with short red-dyed hair. Her outfit looks like it was forged from a hot-pink robot, with yellow straps connected to her black-striped baggy pants. She has a single black stripe painted under her left eye, and I am reminded of the picture of the spiky-haired girl with the face paint.

"Oh, me? Wow...thanks? I'm Roxanne." I say awkwardly; not only am I wondering why this woman would be calling me that, but it's the first time I can ever recall where someone has complimented my clothing.

"Zoe Payne's the name. Wow, you must be one hell of a rider to be out in this event. You're like, what, sixteen? Anyways, you're the youngest rider I've seen up here on the peak."

What fantastic news. I decide to change the subject. "Zoe, you have any idea what this is about? The whole course thing?"

"Yeah, it's new to me, that's what. These tunnel things aren't doing me any good. I like to start my races with knocking down the poor sap next to me, just barely out of the gate, and *BAM*! This time, I get to start this long race right next to Moby. He won't shut up about our 'relationship issues.'"

Relationship issues...I take a guess and ask, "Are you the 'girlfriend' both Moby and Psymon are fighting over?"

She sends me a bright smile. "Yep. I've been with Moby for a long while, but you know Psymon, he won't stop until he gets what he wants!" Zoe laughs at that.

No, I don't know Psymon, and I don't think I want to get to know him either. A race official on the big screens asks the riders to take to their starting gates. Twenty minutes before the race will even begin.

"Well...it was nice meeting you Zoe. Good luck in the race!"

"Right back at you, and hey," she leans in closer. "I'll see you at the finish line, or if luck may have it, sooner than that." She grins and walks away. Zoe seems friendly, but it just might be her strategic angle, to be all this soft and sweet-chocolaty-butter-goodness on the outside. I'll keep an eye out for her on the course.

I head for my gate, board in hand. The graphic customization thing in the hotel room worked out quite awesomely; the white and blue underside of the board looks like battered ice. I get my gloves on at the gate, but I have trouble with attaching the bindings to my feet.

"With those headphones around your ears, you would pass for a bobble-head!" I turn my head to the left. I can't believe I didn't notice Psymon there before, his spiky brown hair, red headband and large green overcoat. One of the lenses on his goggles is abnormally larger than the other, as if he were staring you down with one eye open.

"Very touching insight right there," I say carefully, I didn't want to say something that might make him explode. But, without much rational thought, I say this without fear, "You know Psymon, I think you have lost your edge; you don't look half as frightening as you had in the past."

I can feel the heat emanating from the blood boiling inside his body. He is definitely not happy with my comment. He states, "At least let me help you with some advice: THAT on the ground there? It's called a SNOWBOARD, and the BINDINGS go UNDER your feet!" He laughs so loud that I fear that the ice petals encasing the peak will collapse.

"Please," I answer back, "I know what a snowboard is. I've ridden one all my life!" Not my first lie today, but the statement is enough to get Psymon to look away from me and talk to the rider to his left.

I look to my right, And since I am the luckiest person in the whole universe, I'm not surprised to see Allegra, wearing a green bandanna and blue jacket, looking back at me as well.

"Hey stranger! What an amazing coincidence that it's us starting next to each other, isn't it Roxanne Schultz?"

"Oh, it sure is, Allegra...Sausages."

"Sauvagess."

"Sauvagess, right," I immediately say after she corrects me. At least it's someone to talk to for the next fifteen minutes.

"Wow, this course sure is mysterious! All of these tunnels? I imagine they lead out into some open plain for all of us to tackle each other." She giggles as I stand there silent as a statue. "We must be a whole five miles away from the finish from all the way out here, but I bet you first place will finish in around twenty minutes. Will you be shooting for first?"

"I guess so." I actually really want to. In qualifying terms, first is no different than twentieth if you just want to get to the next race, but there is a sizable cash prize for the first three who place. I'll take whatever I can get.

Allegra leans on our gate barrier and speaks in an even more enthusiastic voice. "Say, since we're already right here, and we've met SO many times, I'd have to say we would make such great allies! What do you say, should we team up, you and me?"

Allegra is not to be trusted. I don't realize the fact until right when she said this. Under Allegra's bubbling surface, I feel that she's issuing a vibe of being...more aware than she's vying to be given credit for. Perhaps Allegra is smart, too smart, to want to be with any single rider. She knows I'm younger than the rest of the group. She might think I'm weak too.

Or maybe she's done her research as well. She knows I'm not weak.

After a bit of thought, I say with a wry smile, "Yes, let's." But as we shake hands, I pull her upper body into my gate, push my head against hers, and whisper, in an aggresive voice, "I'm onto you." I let go.

Allegra doesn't talk to or even look at me the rest of the wait.

Speaking of wait, this wait for the start of the race is LAME. I'm positive this tournament has already made millions of dollars on mere anticipation. I put my M-comm headphones around my ears, and begin to hear a faint voice. I turn the volume up on the side and hear:

"_Roxanne? Roxanne? Turn up the volume! THERE. Much better, am I right?_"

I look around. No one's speaking to me, so it had to come from the giant headphones. I speak into the mic, "Yeah, I hear...who is this?"

"_I'm Ash Morrison. It's nice to meet you. Well, speak to you anyways. I will be your lookout, or iBuddy, as they call it..._"

"Well, it's nice to meet you Ash, I'm glad I've got someone watching my back...um...you will be able to watch it, right?"

"_It's not a problem at all, I've got a view of the entire track from where I'm at, I'll be able to get you down the mountain and through the finish line...well, qualifying I hope. You're a good boarder, right?_"

I don't know where my mind is wandering this time, perhaps I really am this bored, but I ask, "How old are you, Ash?"

"_Hmm? Oh, I'm 19. I'm enrolled in college right now, but you know, college books cost more than a leg these days._"

I'm seriously out of my mind this time. "Alright, because I have to say, your voice sounds, cute. Like one of those shy cute boys who thinks he'll jumble his words if he talks to someone."

"_What? But...how do you know I'm cute? I'm positive you've never seen me, I could...and why do you think I'm shy?_"

"WELL...I have to talk to you over an M-comm, of all of the things I had never heard of until yesterday!"

He chuckles at my expense. "_So I take it you're new to this M-comm and Advanced League stuff. Should I not assume that you'll advance today?_"

I hear his words, but don't exactly listen. "Yeah, sure, BY THE WAY...what are you doing after the race? I saw this cool drink house around Hidden Summit, maybe we can get some hot chocolate...um, coffee. If that's what you like. You like coffee?"

"_I love the offer, Roxanne, but I have to work full shifts here in the booth._"

"Oh, I see then." I clear my head of any additional thoughts. Time to act professional now. "Talk to you during the race?"

"_You can count on it. I'll be right back before the race begins. Signing out." _As Ash's voice exits my headset, rock music from the station Radio BIG overlaps the iBuddy feed.

Did I seriously just flirt with a guy on an M-comm? That's out of line for me...well, I guess I can't blame myself. It's the first time in years I've talked to a boy I on ANYTHING, even over a radio device. I listen into the headphones as the fast-paced music dies down and another voice comes on. Three minutes until the start.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for listening to Radio Big. I'm DJ Atomika, proud to host the _SSX Tournament Spectacular_. I'll provide the music and commentary for today's event. If I may ask for everyone to turn their attention to the starting circle..."

It's almost time. People all around the circle make last minute preps, checking their outfits and anything they carry with them.

"As the racers make one last checkup, I will begin the overhead countdown." Atomika states, and the number 120 appears on the screen. And it's going down fast.

I begin my own last minute checkup. I make sure that my Life Support suit is under my skin-tight leggings and arm sleeves. I check that my half-skirt stays to the left, so it will not flail outwards if I'm not in switch-foot. My small shirt, goggle sunglasses-shades, kneepads, elbow pads, boots, gloves, snowboard...they fit on like a dream. My oversized headphones rest comfortably against my ears. My Super Boosters, two obese pens with a LOT of firepower, are positioned over to my thumbs by intricate metallic structures, so I can easily clutch either of them and boost whenever I need to, but the Boosters won't get in the way of me grabbing my board. I look onward and grab the gate tightly as the number countdown enters the single digits.

The crowd will never help but scream down the numbers before five. "9! 8! 7! 6!..."

5 - 4 - 3 - 2...GO!

I dart out of the gates as the green word flashes ahead. I accelerate quickly on the ice as I descend into the tunnel. The tunnel, as simple as it looked from the start, inclines down so steeply that I end up riding around the side and onto the roof of the tunnel, which soon becomes the ground floor. I am now heading in the direction opposite of and far below my starting position, as if I had ridden in a half pretzel loop. Still no sign of any other racers. I do see a tall jump ahead out of the tunnel and into an opening. I ready myself to jump off of the ramp.

Nothing can prepare for what I experience next. The tunnel opens up into an enormous ice cavern in the shape of a perfect sphere, and I am cutting right through the middle. What I had failed to comprehend before is the OTHER RIDERS. To my left and right, to their lefts and rights, and ALL AROUND the lower part of this large spherical cave, 39 other riders were exiting a ramp coming from an ice tunnel identical to mine into the center of the cave, all of us to rendezvous 150 feet in the air. Right there in the center of the cave.

And that's when I remember why I'm here.

With the press of a combination of buttons on my gloves, I release my left foot from the binding, as well as part of the base on my right. I fall into a backflip as I hold the end of my board. As another racer is about to cross my path in midair - I think his name is Troy - I fling the board around my right foot and into the back of Troy's head. He takes a dive for the ground below as I fall toward an opening at the base of the cavern, barely dodging another three riders in midair on my way down.

I look back at the sky-high carnage behind me, snowboarders knocking into each other in mid-air, as I land on the smooth snow in a new tunnel. Good thing I sped out of there as fast as I did.

"_Wow, AMAZING maneuver back there, Rox." _I recognize the voice in an instant.

"Hello, Ash! Come back to talk about that coffee?"

"_Actually, I'm more here to warn you about the merge ahead. Prepare yourself for some competition!_"

I ready my fists for an attack, but it's Elise who pops out of a merging tunnel. No need for aggresion now.

"Nice to see you, kiddo!" Elise speaks into the mic of her M-comm, and because I am less than 10 feet away, I hear her crystal clear through my headphones. We zigzag through the spacious snow tunnel.

"Remember, Roxanne, we stick to the plan." She rides over to the right, eyeing an opening in the tunnel in her direction.

"Plan?" I yell into my mic. "What plan? All you've ever told me is that I'm stuck with you and that's that!"

"Oh...really?" Elise almost stalls before saying, "Huh, I'm almost positive we talked about doing something at Hidden Summit..."

"Well, we DIDN'T!"

"Then here's the plan: finish, qualify and...we'll discuss a new one for tomorrow later. Good Luck!" Elise jumps into the hole and leaves me in the tunnel alone. What a grand plan right there. At least I don't need to worry about her for the rest of the track.

I head for the end of the tunnel, a curved jump in the shape of a parabola. "_You'll want to bank to the right on this jump, Roxanne. You'll have less air time, and you can use your boost to gain ground from there._"

I answer Ash back, "But I have no boost. I haven't done any tricks in the race yet."

"_Knocking down Troy back there, even if it was in the air, gives you the full twelve seconds of boost. Use it wisely, unless you plan to get trickier._"

Ash definitely is my greatest asset in this race. As I bank right on the jump, I'm sent left into the air and back onto solid ice when I flip upright. I reach for my Super Boosters and click on the green tops. Instead of nearly yanking my arms out of my socket this time, the blasting boosters propel me to a faster speed, just as he had told me.

I approach several half figure eight turns that bank into the sky at 120 degree angles. I speak into my M-comm, "Is there anyone around me that I should watch for?"

"_Let me check your surroundings._" I have no idea how he can see me. Miniature flying drones, thousands of cameras all across the mountain, I'll never guess. "_Okay, right now you are in 9th place. Right in front of you is Mac, Polly, Griff, Guy, and Zoe. Behind you nearby there is Chase, Psymon, Molly, Viggo, and Moses. Also, Moby is closing in on you._"

"What do you mean by that?"

"_Let's just say, you might wanna get down!_" In half a second I comprehend what Ash says. I bend over backwards on my board as a massive boot inches above my face rockets in the opposite direction I'm traveling. If I hadn't been warned, it's rather safe to say the Life Support suit would have done little to keep me from being killed. I look back behind me. It's Moby, no doubt, wearing a yellowish tan winter coat, re-attaching his foot to the board binding after attempting to bifurcate me. He rides up and over the banked turn behind me, using the angle of the curve to whip himself back in my direction. I doubt that he will let up.

"Really, Moby? Do you HAVE to try to kill me? A violent knock to the forehead would be nicer."

"Sorry about it, love," he says with his British accent, "this is a race, you know."

I trace back to what Ash had told me. "That's too bad, then. I guess going after me will hurt your capability to punch out Psymon on the course. He's right behind me, you know." I speak the last two words with a British accent in mimicry of his words.

"Now, you DON'T SAY!" Moby turns his board sideways on the snow and slows down significantly. He really is after Psymon's head.

"_Um...I don't get what just happened. How did you know what to say?"_

"I guess I have a knack for listening to people's 'relationship issues.' I am rather talented." I laugh out loud, while Ash chuckles sparsely. I enter a section of the course with multiple ramps placed on staircases of snow bumps, clearly an area of track where tricks are encouraged. I look to my left to turn for one, but I see Zoe riding next to me instead.

"Hey Roxanne! Wanna see something cool?" I'm tied between whether she wants to show me a trick or if this IS a trick. I bend to the right slowly.

"Okay, why not?" I keep to my right, heading for a ramp parallel to one that Zoe is aiming for, as to see her do the trick in the air.

Zoe bends down and readies for a frontside spin, and grabs for the nose of her board as she leaps off the ramp. While she spins to her right, she releases her feet from her board and begins to kick her feet around the board in a circular motion, spinning around as she keeps her feet in the air. Basically, she's doing a flare on her snowboard. The frontside spin gives the impression that the board itself is a heavy solid object, and is not being repositioned in midair as she spins her feet around. Just before she lands the trick, she preforms a handstand on her sideways board and locks her feet back into the bindings.

Zoe board presses her way to me after I land from a Switch Japan Air grab. "I call that one Pommel Me." She spins around on the tail of her board to Butter and lands back upright.

"You gotta teach it to me some time," I say, keeping an eye on Zoe and on the rapidly changing ground ahead. "That was awesome!"

"In due time. I'll see you at the bottom. Oh, and watch out for Macy!" She yells out as she darts off to the left.

What am I doing? I can't go a whole minute without having a conversation with someone. But again, I can't hold myself to much blame. I've talked to more people in the past day than in...forever, it seems like now. What if I'm hurting my chances at qualifying by speaking to others? This tournament is getting harder and harder to race in.

After a moment of the self-loathing, along with hopping off multiple staircases, my thoughts center on what Zoe said. "Hang on...did Zoe just say "watch out for Macy"? What's so dangerous about her?"

"_Actually, it will be in your best interests to watch out for him after all. Trust the man in the booth._" Macy's a guy?...Kind of ironic if he's so feared.

I ride down into a natural half-pipe section in a back-country area, the entire half-pipe part of the mountain made of snow.

"_Careful Roxanne, don't waste any time on this pipe._"

"Just a sec, Ash. I want to try something." I want to try an uber trick on my own. I recall a page from Eddie's trick book that had a description on one, called 'Blender.' I grab on to the left and right sides of the board as I ascend into the air. Before I begin freefall, I remove my feet from the bindings and kick my right foot forward as I pull my left one back, like a pair of scissors, and spin the board in a circle in midair. I repeat the action; kick my left foot and pull back my right foot as to make the board spin in the opposite direction. All while both I and the board, not touching in any way, are 70 feet off the ground.

As I plummet back down to the half-pipe, I grab the board back, pull it over my head, and lock my feet back into the snowboard right as I land. I'm sure to gain applause with that.

"_Nice trick, now use that boost to recover lost time._"

I feel really weird after doing the trick. It's the first adrenaline rush I've gotten in a while after not almost killing myself. And it feels amazing.

With this energy, I pass by the racers Anton and Claude during a multi-ridge section, several long jumps and short falls on large snow ledges. I dive into a hidden snow section to the right and speed ahead in a flat snow area. I'm distracted from my riding by Ash alerting something loudly in my ears.

"_Warning, Rox: I just spotted Saskia and Spike around your area, and they target lone riders!_"

Spike and Saskia are the brother-sister duo, the only relatives in the tournament. No wonder they are working as a team.

I edge for the left of the platform I'm on. "Got it, Ash, just tell me when AAUGH!" I'm shocked by a girl rider who jumps out of nowhere, blocking my path to the left. I veer to the right, but a guy rider blocks my path from there. This must be Spike and Saskia, and now they have me surrounded.

"Have a nice TRIP, Roxanne," Spike says to the right of me.

"Yeah, hope to see you next FALL!" Saskia jokes from the left. They begin to close in on me.

My options are limited, if I have any. Jumping won't help me in getting away, and both riders will have time to react if I slow myself down. I looking at getting knocked down with any quick-thought-out idea I can produce. My Super Boosters are the last offensive I have.

I speak to the siblings, "That joke...it's SO OLD!" I push down on my Super Booster button tops to activate the boost. Saskia and Spike see this coming; both riders activate their Super Boosters and close in on me faster. What they DON'T see coming is that I turn my Super Boosters, still activated, towards my stomach, blasting me into the opposite direction. While it doesn't stop me or send me in reverse, the Boosters act like the brakes on a faulty amusement park ride, shoving my insides forward as I decelerate.

Spike and Saskia cannot respond in time. They ram into each other and roll forward in the snow ahead. I jump over them, preforming a front flip Wildcat, and look back after landing. The brother sister duo is out of my way.

"_ALL RIGHT, way to go Rox!" _Ash must be doing cartwheels in the booth, judging by the excitement in his voice. I nose press on my board and spin around, as to face the pair of knocked-out riders.

"Yeah, hope you liked the fall! See you next...that trip...nice." I can't believe I flubbed that. At least they were out of my M-comm range.

"_Very smooth right there, Roxanne._" Darn. I forgot Ash can hear me. "_Just watch out for the single ledge ahead. There's no more mountain track to the right, only the view of the other three Peaks in the distance._"

I jerk my board to the left to avoid riding off the cliff. In front of me, I see the Peak Two mountain, as well as the massive Peak Three mountain and base behind it. Standing between the mountains ahead and mine is a vast empty space of air, like the surrounding area on a rickety bridge when you walk from one looming cliff to the next. I grind backwards on the very edge of the mountain. Nothing can stop me from winning this race.

Then, from the corner of my eye, a small glimmer of light, coming from the base of Peak Three - the mountain that is right behind Peak Two - catches my attention. When I turn to where the light came from, however, a spectacular blinding light shines in my direction. Not even my goggles can protect my eyes from the brilliant white light, and my vision is temporarily distorted.

"_What are you doing, Roxanne...look out!_" I lose my balance, and fall of my grinding surface towards Peak Two into nothingness. With hindered visibility, I grab one of my pickaxes and jam it into the side of the mountain I'm falling off of. I'm pulled back into a lower section, where I land in a hidden alcove below the ridge that leads into a short and narrow ice tunnel.

"Sorry Ash, I got blinded back there for a second. Where am I now?"

"_I can't find the tunnel anywhere on the map..._" This is followed by a frantic yell. "_Rox, go back and get out of there, now!_"

But I couldn't go back, the minimal friction on the ice made it too easy to go fast and gave me no power over turning. Also, this tunnel is getting...smaller. Not lengthwise smaller, but smaller in diameter, and I have to duck so I don't hit the ceiling of the tunnel.

I now see why this tunnel is so dangerous. Ahead of me I can see the tunnel exit, but the diameter of the mouth must be no larger than two feet. I will be crushed to death by the walls of this tunnel and my velocity, as if I was being squeezed out the tiny opening of a toothpaste container. After some quick thinking, I decide to unlock my feet from the bindings and lay my stomach down on the board, with my feet trailing behind as the tunnel decreases in diameter. It's uncomfortable, but I barely squeeze through the opening at the end of the tunnel, only to find myself in a narrow canyon flying toward a solid ice wall.

Time to evade death once more; I put my feet back into the bindings and I whip out my pickax from the left and force it into the wall. It slows me down, but I'm still approaching the wall ahead too quickly. I take out my other pickax and lodge it into the canyon wall on my right. With both arms extended out towards the walls, pickaxes in hand, I've deaccelerated enough where I can put the bottom of my board onto the ice wall ahead. It's a rough collision, but I am able to upright myself and continue forward in the canyon.

"_Quick thinking Rox...but, there's a bit more trouble ahead._"

"And what would that be?" I break out of the canyon into an open area of snow.

"_One of the other riders - Moses is his name, now out of the race - he...set off something._"

Out of the race? How do you get kicked out like that? "Ash...what did Moses do?"

"_He set off and got caught in an avalanche. And that avalanche is headed your way...I think...if only I could see..._"

I begin to hear a faint rumbling. I look around my surroundings as I approach a single staircase. "Ash, I don't see an avalanche! What is going on!"

"_Roxanne...the avalanche is...no... IT'S RIGHT UNDER YOU!"_

Of course I didn't see it. All this time after the canyon I have been riding over a rock tunnel. A tunnel meant for riders who enter the tunnel from farther up the track to come out of beneath the staircase I just jumped off.

Instead I am falling on a massive roaring avalanche pouring out of the tunnel opening below.

There's no time to pull out my wingsuit and glide to safety as I fall towards the moving ground. I try to land on the avalanche with utmost delicacy, using my Super Boost to hinder my falling speed. Even so, I nearly disappear into the swirling mass of white ice, but I'm able to resurface as I begin to attempt to ride on the avalanche.

Riding on the moving avalanche is extremely difficult, if not impossible, and in fact I'm not even sure if it's even ever been done before. It's like trying not to fall through quicksand; sure, if the snow ISN'T moving beneath you, it's a whole lot easier, but when it is moving at the same speed as you are, you're going to fall through. I continuously bounce up and down on the fast-paced snow, but I keep my balance as much as I can. I jerk up, down, sideways and in any other direction to keep myself on top of the snow and not fall through. I also use my Super Boosters to keep me aloft, pointing the rocket undersides up as I push down on the Booster buttons. I feel like a surfer, but instead of water, it's out of control snow.

The natural disaster that I have the pleasure of standing on descends into an enclosed canyon. The floors of this canyon room, the right side covered by mountain wall, are made of ice, and make the shape of a half-pipe that heads to the left. What I'm deathly worried about is how this avalanche is going to react with slamming against the solid mountain ahead of it with me riding on top of it. The racing snow rolls onto the ice floor, over the wall in front and AROUND the curvature of the wall to the wall behind on the left, in the form of a loop-the-loop. I ride right into the loop and land back over the floor of the half-pipe, motionless.

I am now surfing in a tunnel of moving snow.

Is it possible that I'm tube riding? It's a surfing term, where you're surfing inside the wave as it breaks, surfing in a tunnel of constantly moving water. It's nearly what I am doing now, in a tunnel of snow, constantly looping up and around this ice half pipe.

I raise my hand to a shifting snow wall. The snow, rolling in a continuous counter-clockwise motion to my right, sprays bits of powder everywhere around me as the sound of a powerful waterfall roars on in the background. My board, facing the opposite direction I was traveling, hovers over the moving snow. And it absolutely takes the breath out of me.

I hear a faint noise in my ear, which really must be Ash screaming at the top of his lungs. "_ROXANNE! ARE YOU THERE? Oh God...are you okay? Where are you, speak to me!_"

It's quite rude of me not to answer back, but how can I with this incredible experience? I want this moment to last forever.

Too bad I'm in a race, and despite my desire, this fragile avalanche tube is NOT going to last long.

In fact, now that I think this, I'm in a frenzy to find a way out. I turn to my right, which is the canyon's left since I face the opposite direction. I hear a huge crash; at the end of the canyon to the right, a large tree trunk has fallen into the tube, threatening to destroy my surfing paradise. This is my only way out. I surf over to the tree and hop on the trunk. I use the remaining Super Boost I have to grind on the trunk backwards, with the Boosters facing towards me as I had them against Saskia and Spike. I fly out of the hidden canyon pipe area as the chaotic snow tube implodes with a deafening boom.

Ash's voice changes, now that he can see me. "_Roxanne, that's you? OH YEAH! Way to make it out!_" I reach for the handles at the back of my waist and pull open my wingsuit, a better option than having to ride on the avalanche below. Facing forward, I glide to the right, out of the direction of the rushing snow and through a short open tunnel above a jagged rock surface.

"That was amazing back there Ash, but...how many people have finished the race? Can I still qualify?" I worry about being in the bottom 20 racers, it will be a shame if I'm out now.

"_Qualify? Rox, you are looking at PLACEMENT if you keep it up, and the leaders are just ahead, no one is done yet!_"

Placement in the race usually refers to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize finishers, as well as 4th and 5th if it's not the final event. I glide back over to the mountain's snowy surface and let go of the handles of my wingsuit as I land on perfectly normal, non-moving snow. I can see Hidden Summit under a half-a-mile away.

I kick myself into high gear as I speed down the last strip of track, a long downhill straightaway, followed by one final jump over a ravine and into a small flat section and finish line. I zoom by Mike and Ruby on my way down the mountainside, and see the last two people ahead directly in front of me. One of them is a large, scary, powerful man with a red jacket and a helmet that covers his head, but not his neck. He is grabbing onto the pink and white suit of a Japanese girl, who has a pink strip across her black hair. It's too obvious to guess what's to come: the man is going to push that girl into the ravine ahead, effectively knocking her out of the race.

"_That's just Macy and Kaori, pass by them and take the first prize!_" Ash says, the M-comm congested with his excitement.

So THAT'S Macy. Despite the visual, I'm too empathetic for this Kaori girl to let Macy have his way. I tell Ash, "But if I do nothing, Macy is going to shove Kaori off the jump and into the pit! Something has to be done."

"_NO WAY, Roxanne. You've worked too hard on this event to give it all up; leave the situation alone, that's an order._"

Now he's ORDERING me, and even if I am fond of Ash, it's something I won't stand for. "You know what? If you don't want to talk about that COFFEE, I don't want to listen to YOU anymore!" And with that, I turn the headphone volume to mute. Time to take action.

I break through the middle of Macy and Kaori, pushing her away from us. I say to Macy, "Hey! Pick on someone your own size, you androgynously-named freak!"

Not a smart thing to say. Instead of leaving, Macy seizes my hands and does not let go. Now I'M the one destined for the bottom of the ravine.

The last jump before the finish is now only 300 feet away, I must think of something. No matter how much try, I can't break free from Macy's clutches. My Super Boosters have no more boost, and my snowboard will serve no purpose in my destination for oblivion. But if the board serves no purpose, then why don't I...

Once again, I decide to make a very, VERY rash decision.

With only 100 feet to go, I press a combination of buttons on my gloves. Macy, his hidden eyes locked on to mine, doesn't see 'it' coming. 'It' being my big bluish-purple boots rising into the air.

My rash decision is to release my feet from the board, as to knock down Macy with my boots. With every fiber of my being I force my feet into Macy's unprotected neck. He lets go of me instantly, losing his own balance as he is paralyzed with pain. I land back onto my board, my stomach lying down on the board just as before in the narrow ice tunnel. I have no time to prepare as I am launched from the snow ramp and over the ravine.

I realize right away that there is no way I will complete the jump. Macy is already a goner, tripping over the jump and descending into the pit below. In one last futile attempt to save myself, I push down the buttons on my Super Boosters as I hug the board, with full knowledge that the Boosters are empty. To my lasting surprise, I receive a blast of hot air, possibly granted from knocking Macy out. The Boosters barely propel me to safety, and I land, while still lying on my snowboard, face-first into the snow.

I must not stop here. I have enough momentum to continue forward. Other racers complete the track before me as I stand back up on my board and cross the finish line, falling back down on the snow as soon as I pass the black-and-white checkered strip in the snow.

I have absolutely no clue how I did. Several snowboarders, even Elise, stand in front of me as more and more racers pass the finish line. I'm not even positive that I finished in the top 20, let alone kept top 5 placement that I had just attained for a short period of the race. I try to pick myself up to stand, but hands slip on the snow and I fall back down, my chest pressed against the ground as I hyperventilate from exhaustion. I honestly feel like I'm going to black out. DJ Atomika's voice echos out in the background, but I only have one thought in my head now.

One race down, two to go.

END CHAPTER


	10. Ch X: Obsessed with Distractions

**Chapter X: Obsessed with Distractions**

* * *

><p>I FINISHED THE RACE IN 6TH. YEAH, I DIDN'T EVEN PLACE.<p>

What matters is that I qualified, finishing in the top 20. The other 20 riders in the race that finished afterwards were immediately sent home. It's astounding how many people must be knocked out in the first round, the only thing I can think optimistically from it is that I'm not one of them. How insensitive of me.

I stand in the corner of the Party Room, a room connected to the Ballroom in the Hidden Summit Resort, where I and the other 19 qualifiers are celebrating the completion of the Peak One race. Maybe I'm not celebrating...I can't get over the tension from the final seconds of that race, and no one really wants any conversation with their opponents in the event anyways. I thought about leaving the party, as if fruit punch and cold Hors-d'œuvres should label it as such, but I decide to stay put until it ends.

I recognize most of the riders from the race, like Anton, Ruby, and Polly. Elise had made it through, although I don't know if she placed or not. I never got around to read the finishing lineup besides mine. I know for a fact that Kaori completed in 1st place, after I shoved her to safety, to take the $1,000 prize, the $500 and $200 prizes going to 2nd and 3rd. I am shocked to see Psymon in the room, I was almost certain that Moby would have murdered him out there on the course. Zoe had placed right before I finished (I learned after the race that she finished a whole 7 **_milliseconds _**before I did) to take a placement in the top 5.

I also knew who DIDN'T make it: Saskia and Spike both finished in the bottom, unable to recover from the crash they suffered after I evaded them. Troy, whom I knocked out in the very beginning, couldn't bring himself back into the racing groove to qualify. Anton lost his riding partner, Claude, to Zoe; from what I heard, Zoe had snatched Claude's board in midair while he performed a Kort Martial and threw it off the side of the mountain. Macy is another obvious no-show, after I kangaroo-kicked him in the neck and out of the race.

The fact that I stood up to Macy reminded me of my harsh words to Ash. Even if I did finish the race on a high note, there's no way he'll ever want to get that coffee with me now.

After the sun set over the snow-suffocated mountains, several people began to leave, up until there are only nine others in the room we are in. About 10 minutes later, after the hotel officials and employees left, Zoe runs over to Moby and says, "Okay okay, they're all gone! Come on, Moby, don't disappoint us now."

"Ah, don't worry Love. I got the booty right here!" Moby, who placed 3rd in the event (and somehow passing by me in the end to do so), pulls out several six-packs of beer from under a table; he starts to hand out bottles to people around him.

"Here's to a grand time together in SSX; it's quite rare for a tightly-knit bunch like us to meet up in one place. How 'bout it everybody!" There are a few people who cheered, but the overall silence in the room renders Moby's proclamation moot.

In fact, I know everyone in this room, at least on a first name basis: Moby, Zoe, Elise, and Kaori I remember from the race. Griff, Mac, and Psymon, whom I met prior to the event, are also here. I could see Allegra, who must still be avoiding me over my threat, and I learned that the other guy in the room with very bright blond hair is named Viggo. As a matter of fact, each every one of these snowboarders resemble a person from the stack of pictures the well-dressed man from the motel room gave me. They all must be from earlier tournaments as well, although I don't see how it's a 'tightly-knit bunch' from the apparent lack of social outbreak in the room.

I decide it's my time to leave, I didn't want to stand in the way of these racers, but Zoe stops me short, as she carries six bottles of beer in her hands.

"Hey, what are you doing here, Roxanne?"

"Oh, hi Zoe, don't worry, I was just leaving-"

"Just leaving? Nah, you should stay a while. After all, you totally deserve it the most."

"And...why would think that?"

"C'mon, I saw your race replay, all that back-country racing with the avalanche, and taking out that German brute in the end? VERY NICE! You should take this." She hands me a bottle, and I have no choice but to take what I'm offered. As she begins to walk away, she tells me, "Tomorrow, in the Cross Peak race, I'll teach you my signature move. How about that? See you out there!" Zoe walks away without giving me the chance to decline the offer. She hands a bottle to Psymon, who reluctantly takes one of Moby's drinks.

I am far below the drinking age for the U.S., only 17 years old, although I'm not sure what it is here where I am now. Even then, I've never had alcohol before and I really don't want to jeopardize my chances in the race tomorrow. Everyone else, including the 19-year-old Griff, is drinking, and I don't want to be viewed as an outcast of sorts. I decide, out of respect, to drink it slowly, as to make this single bottle of the thick and strong tasting liquid last the entire night.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Kaori, the first place winner, bumps into Mac, who also placed in the top ten, from behind. They turn to face each other, and to my curiosity, both stutter like broken record players.

"K...Kaori!" Mac finally utters.

"Mac," Kaori states quietly, as if she didn't want Mac to hear her.

Mac starts stuttering again, "Um, that was...the race, you...good..." Mac storms out of the room, leaving Kaori to stare at the floor, brimming with despair.

Even though it's not my business, I am perturbed by the scene. Mac didn't sound super-shy or insensitive in the sky cable car. There must be something going on between these two.

After pretending to read the label on the bottle as I eavesdropped on the broken conversation. I decide to finally take a break and leave the room. Instead, a voice stops me in my tracks.

"Roxanne-san?" I turn back around to see Kaori standing in front of me. I do not know Japanese, but I remember learning from somewhere during my snowboard travels how 'san' after a person's name is a sign of reverence toward that person.

I answer her, "Hello. Kaori, right? Congratulations on the win out there."

"Enough of that," she hastily says, "you know more than anyone here that I don't deserve it a bit. You should have been in first. If you hadn't risked your position in the race, Macy's fate would have been mine."

And that would be at the bottom of that final ravine after the last jump, completely taken out of the race. There was no way he could climb out and cross the finish line a mere 20 feet away. Among Macy, there were three others that had been forcefully disqualified: Moses, who had triggered that avalanche I encounterd and got buried in 10 feet of snow, Claude, who lost his board to Zoe's antics, and Molly, who had been betrayed by her riding partner Polly during the multi-ridge section of the track. In my imagination, that might have been my story had I paired up with Allegra.

"It's nothing, really. You placed in first, the biggest, scariest rider is out of the tournament, and I get points for taking that risk. We're both in the green today."

"Oh, you are far from safe, Roxanne-san." I see why Kaori feels obliged to use the suffix, but her statement worries me.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Zoe saw the your replay, and showed EVERYONE what went on, even during your back-country run." I knew Zoe was up to something. This can't be good. "You might be the crowd favorite, but everyone is going to make you the target in the next race."

Wait...I'm the crowd favorite? I let the wonderful notion take the space in my thoughts before the whole 'target' fact catches on. "Just going to make the next race interesting, I guess."

"Well, let me help you. I can't stand the possibility of the one who saved me back there be knocked out tomorrow. Is there anything I can do, maybe we can be riding partners?"

"Sorry, Kaori, I'm already riding partners with Elise...although, we didn't do anything team-like whatsoever. 'Just finish the race!' she says, 'We'll make a new plan tomorrow!' What INCREDIBLE teamwork right there." I take another sip of the bittersweet mess of bubbles from my beer.

"Than what about a favor, Roxanne-san? Just a simple, little favor, anything you might need?"

Then it happens. It always happens at one time or another, and it is NEVER a good thing. It's definitely not the drink, the little bit of alcohol that I continue to sneak from the bottle, but there is no doubt that it's not a good think. After a simple idea has crawled its way into my mind, it takes root and grows. The proverbial plant spreads fast, and evolves into something out of my control. But this time, the fertilizer of this dangerous idea isn't anger or jealousy, but curiosity. It's already too late, and nothing can be done until my insanity is satisfied. Now, I am obsessed. Obsessed with distractions.

I look back at Kaori. She has no idea what she has gotten herself into.

"Actually, there is something. I need your help."

END CHAPTER


	11. Ch XI: Best of Friends

**Chapter XI: Best of Friends**

* * *

><p>MIGRAINES ARE THE WORST. I AM NEVER DRINKING ALCOHOL EVER AGAIN.<p>

I have no idea what people normally experience when they have their first alcoholic beverage, but I never imagined that it could make it feel like you have a **FREAKING H-BOMB** in your head. Seriously, when my hotel alarm went off at 3:30 a.m. this morning, it felt like someone was slamming a sledgehammer into my face from the INSIDE! I only had one bottle, so why was my hangover so powerful?

Thankfully, the chilly outside air has calmed my aching skull, as Kaori and I casually snowboard down the groove between Peaks Two and Three. After we reach a flat walking surface with deep powdery snow, we take off our boards, attach them to our backpacks, and turn on our flashlights. I don't know what I'm looking for, but I know it's out here.

As predicted, Kaori is extremely stubborn about the whole 'favor' thing now. As we walk into a wide ravine, she says, "AUGH, Roxaaaaaanne...why are we here? It's five in the morning, pitch black outside, and I'm freezing! What if someone catches us?"

"Don't worry about that Kaori, there's no patrol in the mountains until seven." I actually had no idea, whether there is anyone out here on the snow with us or if what we are doing is legal. "We shouldn't be long out here anyways."

"How would you even know that? Exactly WHAT are we doing out here, Roxanne?"

I shine my flashlight in her face, and tell her, "Okay, fine. If you must know, we are searching for something. Most probably in the snow." I point at her flashlight, which she has pointed towards the sky.

"So...you don't know what this 'something' is, and you got ME helping you search for it."

"I'm telling you Kaori, something has to be out here. During the race yesterday, I got blinded by this shining light, lost my balance, and almost got squeezed to death by an ice tunnel." I turn back around to walk forward, recalling the stressful memories of Peak One. "It came from the base of the Peak Three mountain, right around this area. So don't walk to quickly, and be on the lookout for something that will reflect the light from your flashlight."

"Wow, I thought you were just really clumsy..." She must be taking a moment to reminisce on my race replay that Zoe shared with everyone. "And...oh, come on! The first race is over, and you qualified! I don't see why this is important anymore. Plus, what if we don't find anything out here?"

"Then it's sabotage!" I yell at her as I turn around, once again pointing my flashlight in Kaori's face, making her wince at the bright light. "And that would be even worse! How am I supposed to win if I'm being cheated against? Maybe there isn't something out here, but SOMETHING went on as I was on that ledge. Besides, you owe me a favor, so you're stuck in this mess."

"Fine then," she says, and we begin to scour the ground for shiny objects, walking slowly in the deep snow as more slowly rained down from the sky. After about a minute of searching, Kaori tells me, "Alright...this is BORING. Is there anything we can do to pass the time out here?"

An awkward conversation between two certain people pops up in my mind. "Sure...why not? We're both girls, maybe we can talk about...girl stuff. Like, clothing, or, shoes, or...relationship issues..." Kaori stops walking. She knows where I'm going with this. "Issues like...what was it with you and Mac in the Party Room yesterday?" I twist back around and assault her eyes with my flashlight.

"Stop it Roxanne, with the flashlight AND with what you're asking. You don't know anything about me and Mac."

"That's very true, Kaori. It's probably quite simple to guess, anyways. The way you both stuttered, it must be obvious." I have absolutely no idea where I'm going in this conversation, maybe it would be a whole lot easier to keep asking. Kaori looks down at the snow.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Ah, I understand now." No, I don't, but I keep blabbing on. I use a dramatic voice with hand gestures to convey my set of fabrications. "You and Mac are eyewitnesses to a_ ruthless_ string of murders, and the serial killer told you and Mac that if either of you ever spoke of any of it, he would KILL YOU BOTH! And now, you and Mac must live in constant guilt of the poor victims, multiple murder cases never to be solved because the witnesses are-"

"We were best of friends." Kaori cuts me off as I go overboard with my accusation. "And from your ridiculous claim, I can tell you don't understand one bit."

I'm not sure what to say next, but I don't let up. "Then what did happen between the two of you?"

"Well it's a long story..." From personal experience, I've learned that if anyone ever tells you it's a 'long story,' it's generally a better idea to walk in the other direction. As there's nothing else to keep my mind off of the cold, I decide to listen in. We continue to search the white ground ahead of us with our flashlights as she begins her story:

"We met during the _Snowboarder Tour_, the first SSX tour back about one decade ago. I didn't know anyone, so I tried to keep a low profile. Fortunately, during a race at Merqury City, I accidentally bumped into him on the suspension bridge section. We were about the same age, I was only 16 years old, he being one year younger. I spoke very little English - I knew a few words that pertained to the announcements and the racecourses - but he didn't mind it. From the moment we met during that race, we saw each other as allies, as snowboarders who must stick with each other. We made a quiet promise to not hurt one other out on the track.

"Our friendship grew stronger over the next two years, boarding all around the world, even at the following year's Winter Olympics, and with the start of the _Tricky Tour _that same year, we were closer than ever, and we became each other's riding partner. We both loved the showoff sections, preforming the special uber tricks with the new snowboards that were brought into the tour. He even helped me take out a newcomer that year, Psymon, who was legitimately INSANE back then. I also learned some phrases in English myself, just so I could talk to him. Sometimes, before a race, Mac would ask if I wanted to get a pizza with him afterwards. I never liked pizza, but I never turned him down.

"We decided to play the rival card in the next competition, as the _Triple Peak Tour _took place on BIG mountain. That was the best year of snowboarding; the racing, the trick showoffs, the big air, the back-country courses...the open mountain racing was incredible. We decided to fight against each other, especially on the first peak, always breaking each other's records in speed and points on the tracks. We shared some of the best moments together out on that Happiness back-country course. We could never be real rivals, and it only strengthened our relationship."

I look back at Kaori, who now wears a somber countenance. I ask her, "Then what happened? Everything sounds like it was fine to me."

"It _was_ all fine. In fact, everything was absolutely perfect. That is...until MTV sponsored the Tour."

I remember the MTV Tour...well, that wasn't its real name. It was the _SSX Cali Tour_, and took place in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. The new tour was radically more different than the tours in the past; not only did a lot of the track maneuver around freeways and towns, but for the first time the tour supported skiing, and other snowboarders and skiers could ride on the mountain as tour events went on. I didn't know much about what happened during the event, but from what I remember from what others said, the Tour was a failure with the audience, as fans of SSX found the contestants in the tour unappealing. Many past favorites changed their own racing profiles to fit those with other MTV-sponsored racers.

I put my flashlight behind my back, the light shining away from the two of us. "Kaori, what happened in the _Cali Tour_?"

"Well, as you can imagine, many of the new riders on the tour were...different. The atmosphere of the tour was more aggressive and unfriendly than in the past. I wanted to turn to Mac for help this time, but as before, my English was limited. A new skier named Sid helped me out in the beginning. Because Sid was also Japanese, he taught me more of the English language, which he himself had learned as well. He even helped me changed my look, my attitude, everything to help me out in the Sierra Nevada. I thought Mac would like me more, that we could be closer now, but..." Kaori's eyes began to tear up. "Mac must have thought I didn't want to be with him, anymore. He must of thought that Sid, whom I found out was CRAZY for me, became my new best friend, my new...boyfriend. I saw him hanging out with a new girl named Skye, and...for some reason, we've never spoken to each other again." She begins to cry at this point. "It only got worse from there; after breaking away from Mac, all of my riding skills were off, and I never won a SINGLE event! Plus, during the tour, my father's TV company in Japan said that...I changed too much, that my new 'attitude' was negative! And I couldn't be the voice of Orange Explosion Fun Girl anymore! Do you have any idea how much I LOVED working on that show?"

At this point, I have absolutely no clue what she's talking about, and her sentences are a mix of sobbing and other Japanese words and phrases I don't understand. After about a minute of her mixed language outbreak, she starts to calm down. "I wish I never changed who I was, you know? Everything would be just the way it was before, and Mac wouldn't be mad at me anymore."

Her rhyming phrase strikes a chord with me. I can't help feeling that she is inadvertently talking about me, aside from the fact that I'm the only other person out in this dark morning. I don't try to think about how things would be if I hadn't changed who I was.

Kaori interrupts the silence as she covers her eyes with her puffy gloves. "And what did I tell you about that flashlight, Roxanne? I'm going to need treatment with all of this bright light!"

"But that's not me!" And it's not; my flashlight was pointed away from me, behind my back, and Kaori's light is facing towards my body. Something else is reflecting the light into Kaori's face.

We look at each other. This must be it.

I spin around and dive into the snow ahead, pointing my flashlight towards the ground, frantically searching for the source of the reflection. Finally, I find a shiny surface, just barely visible around the layers snow beneath an outcropping of rock. I look up to my right, beyond Peak Two and at the Peak One mountain, and from here, through the darkness in the distance, I spot the ledge where I lost my balance. "This is it," I tell Kaori, "Let's start digging."

I can hardly describe what we dig out of the ground, it's so out of the ordinary I can't tell if I'm still dreaming or not. Kaori and I have uncovered a massive, thirty pound, glimmering silvery white stone with the appearance of steel crossed with a diamond.

Maybe I get to retire early after all.

END CHAPTER


	12. Ch XII: A Russian UFO

**Chapter XII: A Russian UFO**

* * *

><p>NOTE TO SELF: ACQUIRE UPPER AND LOWER BODY STRENGTH, ASAP.<p>

My knees are at the point of snapping. Any minute now, my shoulders will be torn from their sockets, torn right out of my body. Every baby step I take inflicts an untold amount of pain. I should have visited a gym at some point in my life. Maybe a meager membership, anywhere I went where there was always a gym. A nice, widely-known international gym, like 24-Hour Fitness, would have been easy to find wherever I was in the world. I should have signed up for something small, even if it was only going to be for one day, anything little to help me out on the snow. Once or twice I almost did join a gym, but I knew what had to come first, so I saved every penny I earned.

Of course, if I had known I would be carrying thirty pounds of precious metal on my back at one point in my life, I wouldn't have thought twice before signing up.

To make matters worse, Kaori refuses to help me in carrying my backpack, which slows me down to a labored shuffle as I heave its weighty content through the town of Hidden Summit. I call out to Kaori.

"This is ridiculous. Why can't we carry this together again?"

"Because I want no part in this," Kaori says, putting her hands up as she walks ahead, without turning back. "It's your rock thing you're taking, it's your money you want, and that's fine by me. Besides, I am carrying your board and stuff."

"How very helpful of you," I barely utter as my legs buckle from under me. Yes, this massive rock couldn't possibly land me anything short of a fortune, it looks so valuable. Whatever money this boulder may bear must go to me, and as greedy as I am, I'm justified for being the only one carrying it.

Kaori turns around to face me. "Don't you think it would be easier to carry in your arms from the front?"

"Definitely not. There are probably cameras all over Hidden Summit!" I twist my head back and forth, but I don't see any cameras. "And I don't want anyone asking what this is and jeopardizing my claim."

"There aren't any cameras!" She says with a laugh, the humor more likely directed at the description of my 'claim.' "And I'm pretty sure not a lot of people care about rocks at a snowboard tournament." I doubt that; people all around Hidden Summit have been giving me weird looks, obviously wondering why I look like I'm about to collapse to the ground. "Now hurry up, we have to be near the commencement stage in four hours. You think you can pick it up?"

I try to move a little faster. Suddenly, as we walk through the Summit Plaza, I hear a loud ripping noise, followed by the sound of a meteor impacting with the earth.

The backpack is also a lot easier to carry now.

I look behind me, and on the ground is the enormous silvery-white rock we found this morning. Right in the middle of the Hidden Summit Plaza. Kaori runs over to me, stifling a laugh.

"Wow, it was so heavy, it ripped a whole in your backpack!"

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious," I say frantically. "Now, help me hide it before someone sees it!"

"Hey, kiddo!" Too late. I turn around to see Elise walking our direction. "We still haven't talked about today's race, and we REALLY need to make that plan this time, remem..." Her voice dies down as she spots the rock on the ground. She looks at me. "What in the world-"

"ELISE RIGGS!" Oh no, here we go again. To my right is an angry Zoe, her face covered in colorful markings, along with Psymon trailing behind her with a sneaky smile on his face. "What was that joke you cracked about my face paint? Why I ought t..." Both she and Psymon look down at the ground, their previous emotions wiped away by fascination.

Psymon points next to my feet. "What IS that thing?" Kaori gets in the middle of Zoe, Psymon and Elise as any arguments are centered around my rock.

From the corner of my eye, I see Allegra walking over to see what the commotion in the middle of the plaza is about. Once she sees me, however, she looks down and starts to walk away, but not before she catches a glimpse of the silver rock. Despite my presence, she jogs over to us. "Wow, where did that come from?"

"OY! Psymon! What did I tell you..." It's Moby running over now, probably mad with Psymon and Zoe, but his speed dies down as he glances at the massive stone. "What's all this going on here?"

The next person to join the fray is Mac, as he walks over to us. "Yo Allegra, I was thinking about what you..." He looks down at my feet. "That is a very big rock." The center of the town plaza is a mess of words, everyone around me yelling at each other and about the rock. I begin to speak to Mac, and everyone else in general, about my discovery, MY property, but I'm interrupted by another noise.

"WHOA, a Russian UFO!" It's Griff this time, as we all turn to him at his ridiculous remark.

"WHAT did you just say?" Psymon asks him, as everyone else ceases their quarreling around my rock to hear Griff's answer.

"It's one of those silver UFO's made by the Russians, built during the Cold War to keep surveillance on the United States. Any of you hear of Area 51?" After a moment of stunned silence, more or less due to his terrible reasoning, Griff reaches out his hand and moves closer to the rock. "Can I look at it?"

I block Griff's hand as I see another blond-haired guy wearing a blue button-up shirt walking our way. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" I scream out, getting everyone's undivided attention. There are already so many witnesses to my rock. I can't risk any more. "This has gone too far, now help me hide this before someone else sees it!" I grab at Kaori and Moby, who are standing next to me, and throw them into the direction of the rock. Psymon, Zoe, and Elise also block any sight of the giant smooth stone.

"Hey, where's the party, man?" Everyone hides the rock as Viggo walks over to us. Viggo was the last finalist to compete the Peak One race yesterday, managing to glide by Chase to take the last spot in the top 20.

I fan my hands outwards as to draw his attention away from the group of snowboarders and say, "Uh...party? Yeah, party's over there..." I look to my left towards some nonexistent object. "There's a store going out of business. They're having a clearance on...parkas." The clothing item pops into my mind as I recall the Swedish rider from the pictures wearing a parka who resembles Viggo in every way. Any normal person would see through my obvious lie and ask what the heck is going on behind me, but the obvious sails right over his head.

"Parkas, huh? I really shouldn't pass this up..." To my fortune, Viggo disappears behind a wooden building away from the Plaza.

"Oh, thank GOD." Zoe lets out. At this point I realize there's no one else around, and I push everyone out of my way to heave the rock back into the opening of my backpack.

"What, something wrong with Viggo?" I ask, as I struggle shoving the rock back into where it fell out of.

"No offense intended, but I personally found him annoying during the _Triple Peak Tour_." Griff says, to which Elise lets out a scoff.

"Seriously? HIM annoying? Yeah, says the then 12-year-old kid on a constant sugar rush." Zoe, Moby, and Kaori laugh at her comment. I'm guessing that they could relate, if they were all part of that same tour.

Mac speaks out, "Ya know, rumor has it that Viggo was absent in the _Cali Tour _because he needed surgery from getting his tongue stuck on a frozen ski pole!"

"He's so dreamy..." All laughter grinds to a halt, and everyone around me stares down Allegra, the owner of the statement. Noticing the surprised faces staring at her, she begins to stutter, "Um, I mean...not really, not as...ah, what's the point. I stand by what I said." She crosses her arms.

"Well, now that THAT'S over with...Roxanne?" Elise says, looking over at me. "I think I speak for everyone in asking what this is all about."

"Yeah, Roxanne, tell us." Kaori says with a big smile. She can't help but silently laugh at me as I'm surrounded by many intrigued witnesses to my discovery.

Psymon moves closer to me. "What's with the really shiny object you got stashed in that backpack?" I can't help but feel that at any moment, Psymon is going to jump me and steal my precious rock. I stand over my backpack and speak to everyone around me.

"All right, everyone, I know this looks questionable, but let me just say..." I turn around and leap onto my backpack, protecting my rock by covering the back with my body. "IT'S MINE! No matter what you guys think, it's ALL MINE, MINE MINE MINE." I begin to breathe really heavily, I've seriously gone insane from this possession. I turn myself around to face my audience as I now sit on my backpack. I try to calm down a little.

"Hold your horses, crazy!" Zoe tells me. "I couldn't care less about wanting it, I...kinda just want to know what it is."

"Yeah, same here." Griff raises his hand. "Then again, it's definitely not a UFO, so it's probably completely worthless. Like tin."

I faint a little inside hearing the word 'tin.' I will be very devastated if this rock turns out to be worthless.

"Now that's not possible," Allegra speaks out, "Judging by the distance the rock must have fallen to the ground from the ripped backpack, and how the rock retained it's base shape, the metal isn't easily malleable. I'm guessing silver."

I let out a sigh of relief. Silver sounds pretty decent, and loads better than tin. I look down at my backpack. "Well, at any rate, until I know what this is, it's worth nothing to me."

After a period of guessing what this rock could be (chrome, platinum, white gold? Anything goes), Moby says, in his unmistakably British accent, "Oy, I know a guy who was in the _Tricky Tour _with most of us, and he runs this rock collection shop down the hill. I bet if we got that pile up to him, he'd know what we're dealing with!"

"How awesome!" I shout out with joy, "Can you take me to him?"

"Yeah...NO." Moby walks over to Mac. "But Mac here knows what I'm talking about, dont'cha buddy?"

"Wha? Oh, yeah, I saw that rock store from somewhere. I know where it is."

"Hey, I'll come too!" Griff says in excitement. "I gotta know what this is."

"Count me in." Elise walks up to me. "Maybe we can discuss something about today's Cross Peak Race while we're down there."

"Yeah, speaking of that race..." Zoe says behind her, "We're gonna...go now." She, along with Moby, Psymon, Allegra, and Kaori, begin to walk away. "Tell us what you know up on Peak Two, you hear?"

Griff gives a thumbs up. "No problem. Later Zoe!" With that, we wave goodbye as they walk away.

I pick up the backpack, this time in my arms, as Elise turns towards me, Mac, and Griff. "All right, we have no time to lose. Mac, you sure you can show us the way to this rock shop?"

"Yeah, it's down this way," Mac starts to move away from the center of the plaza. "Just follow me!"

"Right behind you!" says Griff as he and Elise follow suit.

Aw, not again!

"WAIT! Guys, come back!" I'm now kneeling on the snow, barely capable of keeping my hands in the air as the rock pulls me down. The others hurry back to me as I call out:

"A little help here?"

END CHAPTER


	13. Ch XIII: Right Through Me

**Chapter XIII: Right Through Me**

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><p>I TRY TO STAND AS STILL AS I CAN IN THE "<em>DWAYNE-GRADY ROCK SHOP<em>."

I worry that if I slip and fall, I will impale myself on some large pointy rock thing. Nah...more likely I'll scratch my skin very badly on the coarse surfaces surrounding me if I'm not careful. Covering the walls, floor, and even outside the shop are rocks of all shapes, sizes, colors, and sheens. Several of the rocks share a resemblance to an asteroid, and others are as flat as granite counter tops. There are several mineral pieces around the room as well, ranging from beautiful purple quartz to small specks of gold. It's hard to imagine that there can be so many different types of rocks of earth.

Right now, I only care for learning about one.

Sitting in front of a large desk dividing him from us, Luther (his full name being Luther Dwayne-Grady, I'm guessing from the shop name) studies our thirty-pound, silver-white rock in front of him, twisting it around and looking all over the rock's surface. I stand by impatiently, with Griff and Elise resting by me. Mac stands opposite of us, facing the exit of the building, with his arms crossed. Luther, a bulging man with a yellowish mullet, stands up from his rickety wooden chair.

"Well, I tell you what," he says in an odd, probable-redneck accent, "this here ain't platnum, nors it any of that silver stuff." Drat. I was hoping it would be one of those two, both of them sounding like they would sell for the most money. Luther turns around to a door that leads into a separate room. "Lemme git sumthin that'll help me a bit more with findin out what the heck this jus might be." He closes the door behind him.

I decide to walk over to Mac as Elise and Griff converse with each other, and I ask him, "What's with you, Mac? You don't HAVE to be here, you know."

"Man, if I knew it was Luther here, I wouldn't have come in the first place!" Mac finally turns away from the exit towards me.

I almost ask him why he never read the 'Dwayne-Grady' part of the shop name, but I ask him this instead. "What's wrong with him, I mean, despite the obvious?" I have to admit, Luther is rather unsightly.

Mac exclaims, "What? Luther was the WORST! I hated him in the _Tricky Tour_." Oh, so he used to be a snowboarder, just like a lot of the other store owners I've met. "I'm glad he decided to change careers to this!"

Yeah, so am I, for the sake of this rock problem, I guess. "But that doesn't change the fact that you can leave, if you really want to."

"I guess I don't really wanna. I'd like to know what this rock thing is that you and Kaori found."

The mention of her name reminds me of Kaori's dilemma. "Hey! Speaking of Kaori, she talked about you this morning, when we found the thing."

A tinge of pain fills Mac's eyes. "Aw man, she's still mad at me, isn't she?"

This question blows me away. "Wait, she is mad at you?"

"I knew it." Mac let's out a sigh. Apparently he thinks my question to his question was a statement.

Still confused, I ask Mac, "Now, what was it, exactly, that made her mad at you again?"

"She didn't tell you? Well, it all happened during the_ Cali Tour _about four years ago. We were all trying to be better than some of the new racers sponsored by MTV. It wasn't easy, all of these racers had it in for us vets. Kaori got into the groove, she got a lot of help from this new skier named Sid. He gave her a new look and helped her with speaking English. I knew I had to step it up."

I'm surprised that I don't hear any ill-will towards Sid, the very person who Kaori blames for Mac leaving her. Mac continues his story. "Anyways, I decided to ask Allegra for help. You know her?"

"Oh, Allegra? A little, I guess." The one person I've told off here on Hidden Summit? She's been avoiding me ever since before the Peak One race.

"Yeah, she knew how to adapt, how to take over the new competitors. She had joined SSX during the _Triple Peak_ Tour as a newbie, but she became very popular by the end of that year. I thought she was really smart, so I asked her for some help in getting ahead in the Tour. We started to ride a bit together and...I don't know. I think Kaori thought I wanted to hang with her instead, so...well, we haven't talked to each other since."

At this point I am completely dumbfounded. Not just about one particular, it's MANY things: how anyone could manage Allegra's extreme happy-go-lucky attitude, and that if Mac wasn't back-stabbed by Allegra, maybe my presumption of Allegra being a traitor is incorrect. But more than anything else, it is the absence of the mention of one person.

"BUT WHAT ABOUT SKYE?" I exclaim in Mac's ears, hoping that he will remember faster if I say it louder.

"Who, Skye Simms? Yeah...she was on the _Cali Tour _roster with us. I knew her a little bit, I think we teamed up once, but it was really Allegra that I was sided with. I wish I tried to be with Kaori again, but I was afraid she would walk out on me."

Wow. Just wow. Not only do both Mac and Kaori think that the other is mad at the opposite, but Kaori thinks it was pairing with Sid that made Mac side with Skye, and Mac believes that she thought he and Allegra were together, and yet they BOTH wish to be with each other. This is a relationship with NO communication, WHATSOEVER.

Before I can tell him what's REALLY going on, I'm interrupted by Griff. "Hey guys, you're going to miss it! Come over here."

I hadn't noticed it, but as I was speaking with Mac, Luther came back into the main room, with a hammer, magnifying glasses, color schemes and other papers in hand, and must have finally deduced what type of rock this is.

I rush over to Luther's desk and slam my hands on the tabletop, too eager to find out what my discovery is. "Okay, what is this and is it expensive?"

"Calm down, kiddo," Elise smoothly states from behind me. "I doubt he's got it all figured out now."

"As a matter of fact, I do." Luther takes of his funky magnifying glasses and looks up to me. "The rock you done brought me? This here's rodiem."

Griff lets out a laugh. "Rodeo? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Not a rodeo, man." Mac slides ahead to the desk and looks at the rock. "It's Rhodium, the 45th element on the Periodic Table. It's corrosion resistant. I never imagined that the rock would be this, Rhodium is almost never found by itself in..." Mac looks over to Elise and Griff, who are both perplexed by his statement. "What? I took a year of College Chemistry during the off-season."

"You've gotten smarter, boy," Luther says, impressed by his former rival. "You're on the mark; rodiem is typic-ly found in Nickel or Platnum ores, a sample of the pure element this big is unheard of."

I wave my hands in front of Luther's face. "Hello? All this Chemistry talk is all nice and dandy, but what does this mean for ME? I've never heard of Rhodium before."

"Prob-ly never seen it, either," Luther lets out with a chuckle. "Rodiem is super rare, I'd have to say something weighing thirty pounds, including any deformities, with value gone down in recent years, to sell on a low, would get you, maybe $2 million."

Two million dollars.

"Oh my God..." Elise says, unable to contain herself as she turns to look at a wall to the left. Griff's mouth is wide open, and Mac is caught in a daze. I can't imagine what my reaction is.

Two MILLION dollars?

I have to crouch down and sit on the rickety wooden floor, for the fact is too overpowering for me to handle standing up. I hold my head as I hear a constant ringing in my ears, my mind reeling from the shock of such a number. I know it more than anyone that I can live off of two million dollars for the rest of my LIFE. In fact, with this much cash...it would change everything...

But an opposing thought brews inside of me. I stand back back up and confront Luther.

"No. It's not...possible!" I slam my hands firmly on the tabletop, now facing a $2,000,000 Rhodium sample. Actually, I'm now quite adamant in wanting to know this rock ISN'T worth $2,000,000. "There is just no way on the face of the PLANET! What IDIOT in their right mind would let a two-million-dollar rock just sit out in the middle of a snowboard tournament, right where it will BLIND people for no good reason?" My eyes sting in remembrance of the occasion on the single ledge.

"Naw, it wouldn't have been a person, I suspect." Luther stands back up from his wooden chair. "There's been some spekurlation recently, that large mountains similar to the ones in the tournament you're all in house hidden underground caverns chock full of different types of elements. Why, one of the mountains around here just might be filled with Rhodiem, of all things. Purty amazing, if I say so. This lone sample here might of slipped away from the rest of it."

I step away from the desk, doing my best to comprehend the situation. "You mean...there's MORE of this stuff?"

"I say it's darn quite possible. In fact," Luther turns to walk away, "lemme show you somethin. In the meanwhile, I'm gonna hafta ask all ya here not to breathe a WORD of what you see in this room to anyone! Ya hear?" Cautious of what could happen, we all nod our heads. "Follow me."

Luther guides me, Mac, Elise, and Griff into the other room at the back of the shop. In this room, however, there are no shelves, no windows, not even a single rock to give the impression that this room is connected to a rock shop. Instead of wooden floors and walls, all of the surfaces are panes of thick black glass. Luther, standing on the opposite end of the spacious room, puts on bulky gloves and stands toward a light switch in the wall, although there isn't a single light bulb in the room. "Watch yer step now," he says with a grin, and he switches the wall switch the other way.

Instantaneously, the entire room is a blast of bright green, accompanying a high-pitched beep sound. Thousands of green lines form from thin air, and move erratically all across the room. My first thought that comes to mind is the deadly laser scene from Resident Evil, but these green lasers pass right through me without slicing me to pieces. Sections of these lasers that sprout out of the glass walls disappear and form a 3D image of a VERY familiar mountain range.

Griff catches on in an instant. "Wow, these are all of the mountains in the _Tournament Spectacular_!" I search around the light structures to see if this is true, and it is: the largest four mountains at the other end of the room must be Peaks One through Four from right to left. Below me I can see the flat surface of Hidden Summit, complete with miniature laser-formed buildings. In fact, as I walk closer to the Peak mountains, I can even view underground tunnels and caves underneath the transparent surfaces of the mountains. I walk several times around the Peak One hologram, imagining my entire trek down the mountain onto this hologram in front of me. I spot the enormous spherical cavern at the top, the single ledge I fell off of, even the enclosed canyon where I surfed in the snow tube. After about five minutes of the four of us examining the mid-air mountain range, Luther walks over to me.

As a natural reflex of mine, I ask him, "What the heck is this for anyways? Do people know you have this?"

"I'm guessing they might, prob-ly think I ain't smart enough to work it. Imagine that." Based on his ungainly appearance, I really don't need to. "Anyways, this here Hologram Projector was supposed to be used during the races, but it's too far away from the mountains to get an accurate read on the racers' location, so they abandoned this one and made more in the booths around the mountains."

So THAT'S how Ash knows what's going on during the race! This map would easily give locations to every nook and cranny on the mountain. It still doesn't entirely answer how he would know where I am, unless he's following the thousands of broadcast and hidden cameras that are strewn across the mountain.

Luther puts his glove-covered hands in the air. "All right, fun time's over." He clenches his fists; the entire room of lasers immediately turns blue. When he jerks his hands far to his left and un-clenches his hands, the entire room of mountains spins around in a flat clockwise motion, effectively rendering the rest of us dizzy. After he clenches his hands again, stopping the headache-inducing spinning, he moves his hands farther apart to zoom in on the hologram, making a fist with his hands when he wants to alter the hologram. When he is finished with moving the mountains, he has zoomed into the midsection of the Peak Three mountain. Luther looks up to me.

"This here where you found the elment, missy?"

I look down to the base between Peaks Two and Three. The location in this hologram is exact. "Right here." I point at the base of Peak Three.

"Just as suspected. You see the middle part right here?" I look through the enormous section of the Peak Three mountain. "I'm guessin there's a large hidden cavern right here in the middle, could be where the rock of yours came from."

Mac steps in between me and Griff. "But hang on...how are you supposed to get to a cave if it's not even on a map?"

"It don't show up on the holographic map because it's too deep underground. Can you see this tunnel right here?" Luther points to an opening in the Peak Three mountain that begins right as you jump off of the Peak Two section of the course. This tunnel branches out several times within Peak Three, most of the new tunnels leading back up to the surface.

I notice something awry with a tunnel within the mountain. "Wait a sec. This tunnel stops right here." I point at a section of the tunnel within the holographic mountain, the deepest innermost tunnel, where it cuts off and stops abruptly within the mountain.

"Yep. Guessin them mountain scanners don't do that good a job on the tunnel parts. What I'm believin here is that this tunnel goes deeper within the mountain and into the hidden cavern. You jump from the last Peak Two jump into this openin right here, keep to your right down the mountain, except for this section that crosses over right here," He points to a fork in the tunnel that is the exception, "and git inside that cave and take a look-see."

"I still don't understand. We start the race on Peak Two, and end it...where?"

Griff walks over to the left. "It ends at the bottom of the Peak Four mountain, WAY over here." Griff bends down to be level with the Peak Four base, which falls much lower than any of the other Peaks, being closer to sea level. He walks back to the Peak Two mountain. "You see, we start the race up here, then," he trails his fingers down the side of the mountain, "near the base of Peak Two, we jump onto the Peak Three mountain." He walks in a clockwise direction around the holographic mountain. "We go over halfway clockwise around the mountain's base, then we jump onto Peak Four." I walk over to Griff as he continues the lesson from the other side of where I was facing. "The race goes through the large mountainside town of Julius, and then through a frozen river canyon and into the finish." Griff stands back up after he is done.

It's such a long racetrack...almost twice as long as the Peak One race event! Now my biggest worry is that I won't finish in time to qualify if I take this detour.

I look back to Luther. "Sorry, Luther, but...I can't do this. I have to make it through this race."

"Now I understand that. Say...you're that popular girl racer that did all that crazy stuff in the race, right?"

I'm somewhat offended by Luther's description of my success on Peak One. "If by THAT, you mean I qualified in the end, then sure."

"Well, it's too bad then." Luther shuffles away from me. "'Specially after that stunt you pulled at the end of the race..." My eyes widen at the mention of my 'stunt' I pulled against Macy. Luther keeps at it. "It'd be a shame to get knocked out by someone else who wants to do you in, probly afraid of you winnin' it all...I'm sure the Peak Three section is very open right here." He gestures to the Peak Three mountainside that is avoidable via the tunnels. The right side of the track is buffered by the side of the steep Peak Three mountain slope, but the entire left side of the track is a cliff face that runs around the perimeter of the base of Peak Three. "Yeah, any rider could easily knock you down, maybe even off the cliff right in this here region. Wouldn't take too long either, that tunnel of yours, could make it right out to the mountain's other side if you cut through the tunnel track right."

"So, what you're saying is, that if I go in this tunnel here, find this cavern with the stuff inside, and get out as soon as I can, I will avoid the rest of the crowd and still place in the top 10?" Luther nods his head, but adding a little shrug of his shoulders.

I decide to sit back for a moment to think about this. Then again, since when have I ever made a 'good' decision? All of my choices in the past have either completely backfired or have faulted to a point where it still did some good for me. But this? If I do find this cave with all of these $2 million rocks inside, EVERYTHING will change. Plus, since I am the 'crowd favorite', and apparently everyone else is against me, it would be better to try this out than to not. I turn around to face Mac and Griff, but it's Elise who stands in front of me, distasteful.

"I'm guessing this nulls whatever plan we might have made, am I right?"

"Sorry Elise. Wish me luck on this whole mountain cave thing?"

Elise holds her right fist in the air, making a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, kiddo; I'll make sure the rest of us who know you what's going on."

"That would be great." I turn to Luther. "Thanks for the help Luther, but we better get to the commencement stage now." We say our goodbyes to Luther, exit the Hologram room and leave the store. The Cross Peak race event is about to start, but this time, I have a new mission.

I have a cavern to find.

END CHAPTER


	14. Ch XIV: Shatters Like Glass

**Chapter XIV: Shatters Like Glass**

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><p>I WENT TO THE <em>BUSCH GARDENS WILLIAMSBURG<em> AMUSEMENT PARK IN VIRGINIA WITH MY PARENTS WHEN I WAS FOUR.

It was during a family vacation while my father was still around (he died from a heart attack three years later). My mother dragged the two of us, me and my dad, along with her sister (my aunt) and her family (my cousins and uncle). Again, I was only four; aside from a mix of screams and cotton candy I hardly remember anything from the trip. The single firm memory that I have of the park visit is when we walked by the _Loch Ness Monster_ roller coaster in the Scottish-themed area of the park, right under the ride's interlocking loops section. I feel sorry for anyone who's never seen the ride; it is one of the most beautiful theme park attractions I have ever seen, and the interlocking loops part made me want to go back when I was older. Sadly, that poorly planned family trip to _Busch Gardens_ in Virginia remains the only time I ever visited the theme park. During these past few years, I have never given a single thought to riding the _Loch Ness Monster_.

Yet from what I see from my seat in the helicopter, I am going to experience something very close to it.

At the moment, I - along with the other 19 remaining contestants in the tournament - am riding the giant red helicopter up to the top of Peak Two to prepare for the Cross Peak race event. I'm still wearing my morning clothes - everyone puts on their racing outfits up on the peak during this event - and even hours after the fact, I cannot shake off what happened in the rock shop. Two million dollars...if I decide at the last minute, like all of my famous decisions, to go into this tunnel, stick to the inside or whatever and find a cavern FILLED with all of this precious metal, I will never have to snowboard again.

I knew that this Rhodium cave thing would get the best of my emotions if I dwell on it too long, so I decided to look out my helicopter window. Not the best idea. I hadn't noticed it before, not from the Hologram Projector nor from my own sight of the mountain from Hidden Summit, but the Peak Two mountain is an unrelenting fortress of ice. It's the second shortest mountain among the four, Peak Four having the lowest peak height, but it must be the most packed with racing track. There's no doubt in my mind that the entire surface of the mountain was altered for the event. Towering walls of ice surround every corner, creating deep ravines in the crevices of the mountain. Buried within the mountain are numerous man-made inversions, ranging from loops, dive turns, and several other means for throwing us upside down (and I thought that corkscrew in Belukha was bad). Among these ice obstacles are vertical drops, 90 degree-banked turns, and steep uphill climbs. What scares me the most among the racecourse I see below is a section of the track where one vertical banked turn crosses within a massive ice loop, creating interlocking loops of track. Just like the "Loch Ness Monster" ride.

I look away from my side window and face forward in my seat. Qualifying? I'm worried about making it out of this race ALIVE.

After about fifteen minutes of riding in the helicopter, we get out onto the Peak Two building, located right behind the starting area. I change into my riding outfit, along with boots, goggle sunglasses, and pads. I put my headphones around my neck as I approach the starting gate.

Right as I exit the peak building I am once again surrounded by audience seating areas, jam-packed with SSX fans, along with large flat-screen TVs covering every wall. In front of me I see the twenty starting gates lined up facing forward, unlike the outward circle positioning of the previous race, and beyond the gates is nothing but clear sky. What I'm perplexed by, however, is that the starting gates face AWAY from Hidden Summit, sending us in the opposite direction of the town and the dangerous ice track on the front side of the mountain. I begin to walk toward the starting line, but I'm held up by a voice from behind.

"Hey, you lied!" I know who it is before I turn around. I completely forgot that I told Viggo there was a clearance at some nonexistent store in Hidden Summit.

"Oh, hello Viggo, how are doing?" I say, wincing at whatever slew of angry words might come my way. Viggo's mood, however, is different than what I expect.

"Better than ever, thanks for asking. It would have been cool to find that clearance you told me about, but you never told me all this stuff is FREE!" He gestures to his riding outfit, which is different than yesterday. I'm guessing he had no clue before about the local store policies.

"Um, you do know it's only free to RENT, right?"

"Yeah, isn't it great! I think wearing the same stuff over and over is boring anyways." Before I can comment on his odd statement, Viggo keeps talking, "Too bad my parents' ski resort isn't like this..."

I decide now is the right time to change topics. "Wow, you're parents own a ski resort?"

"Yeah, actually they just started running one this year, all of my life before they were just professional ski instructors. Kinda how I got into the sport, you know? Traveling the world, riding the biggest mountains, getting to do whatever I wanted...although I had to pay for most of it, haha. SSX has always been great to me, I was only nineteen when I joined the _Triple Peak Tour_, but I've been mostly off-season since then." I remember Mac's accusation toward Viggo's absence in the _Cali Tour_, but I decide to leave that out of the conversation.

"That's neat...so, I'll see you around the Peaks?"

"You can count on it. Oh, and Roxanne, just so you know," he tugs on his green and purple jacket, "I've got your back on the slopes." He turns and walks toward the starting gates.

Viggo is a very clueless person. I guess I can see why the other racers dislike him so much. As I walk in the direction of the racecourse, I hear my name announced overhead.

"Starting in gate number seven, rider Roxanne Schultz!" While the crowd is always persistent in making noise, I am nearly knocked over by the magnitude of screams at my name. I guess I really am a fan favorite. "Roxanne finished in 6th place in the Peak One race event. Her highlights include knocking out several riders in the race, such as Macy in the final stretch, and her acclaimed back-country racing. Give it up for Roxanne!"

Before the continuous cheers die down, I look up and see myself in a TV screen above, wearing the same as I had in yesterday's race. The announcer moves on to the next racer as I enter my gate and look at the racetrack ahead.

This beginning section is much more promising than before; ahead of me are 20 rails that begin at each starting gate that dip downwards and disappear into the snow below. This starts every rider off with a steep incline on a rail down about 10 feet before boarding onto a flat straightaway ahead. This straight section leads into a titanic U-shaped jump, but this is as far as I can see.

I look to the rider on my left, but it's a red-headed rider named Ron, someone who I haven't seen before around the mountains, wearing a green and yellow suit and goggles. I look to the rider on my right, and I'm startled by the sight of Moby, wearing a dark yellow jacket. I try to look back forward, but his powerful eyes turn to mine.

"Um, hello Moby, uh..." I don't know what to say, now that I've started an unwanted conversation. "Just for future reference, you're not going to, you know, try to kill me this race?"

Peculiarly, Moby smiles back at me. "Ah, that won't be a thought at all this round."

"Really? Why is that?"

"Zoe told me about your cavern search, you know, to see if all that pricey metal stuff is real." Huh. The other three definitely spread the word about the Rhodium if now Zoe and Moby know. "The lot of us who were in the plaza will make sure you get to where you need to go unharmed, but...don't expect me to let you win this race."

"Now that won't be a problem for me." Or will it? No matter what I might want to think, I got EXTREMELY lucky that last race, most of the things I achieved had possibly never been done before. And even with my incredible luck, I only got 6th. Only ten people can make it to the final race. Do I really want to risk qualifying for a room full of rocks that might not even exist?

Moby places his hand on his earpiece, possibly his M-comm version. "Sorry 'bout this love; my eye-in-the-sky here is bugging me. Catch up with you later?" He turns and faces forward.

I can't believe I completely forgot. With mad haste I put on my headphones and speak into the mic, turning up the volume as I talk. "Ash? ASH! Are you still there? PLEASE still be there!"

"_Hmm? Oh, afternoon, Roxanne! How are you doing today?_" His voice sounds somewhat more convivial then what I recall it was yesterday.

I breathe out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness you're still here. I was afraid you were going to leave!"

I hear muffled laughter over my M-comm. "_Now, why on EARTH would I ever do THAT?_" He's obviously looking for an apology.

"Because I almost got killed by throwing myself in Macy's arms, which you told me not to do! I am seriously very sorry about that. You'll forgive me, won't you?"

"_I might...haha. You know, you really shouldn't sweat it, Rox; after all, you've created quite a name for yourself out here with all of your antics. Think you can pull off some more crazy stunts today?_"

"I don't know Ash...all the Peak Two racing track I saw on the way up is rather intimidating. I really don't know if I should try to handle this."

"_Yeah, I'm looking at the ice obstacle section now..._" From the HOLOGRAM PROJECTION in your booth. Yeah, now I know. "_What I see here is a lot of g-forces on very smooth ice. There are several of these man-made inversions inside the mountain, along with intense drops and whatnot. Stick to the centers, keep your footing, don't try to stop without a pickax, don't lose vision, and you'll power through. It's not as bad as it looks, trust me._"

"Really? Thanks for the tip then."

"_No problem. I'll be right back after I check something. Signing out._" The noise over the headphones transitions to Radio BIG. Since there's still about 10 minutes until the race begins, I decide to listen in.

"You're tuned to Radio BIG. I'm DJ Atomika, still around to host the _SSX Tournament Spectacular_. I have a special guest with me, please welcome past SSX racer Maya Nolet. How are you, Maya?"

"I am doing great Atomika, it is very good to be here." Maya speaks with a moderate Canadian Inuit accent.

"So, where have you been in the SSX world?"

"I began snowboarding professionally about five years ago, and I competed in the_ SSX Blur Special_ competition the year after the _Triple Peak Tour_. Since then I have been doing a lot of my riding off-season, and I have also been hosting several slopestyle competitions. It's amazing what some riders can pull off on a board."

"Indeed it is. Now, any thoughts on today's competitors?"

"Well, Atomika, I have to say that I will be very surprised to not see Mac Fraser in the qualifying spots. He is just so level-headed, he will not lose his way out on the Peaks today."

"Let's not forget that Mac, along with racers such as Elise Riggs, Zoe Payne, and Kaori Nishidake, have been present in all of the SSX tours, as well as Moby Jones and Psymon Stark with three apiece. This will be a very close race for all of them."

"Now, I think I will be keeping an eye out for Polly. Did you see what she did to her riding partner?"

"Yes, it's too bad about what happened to Molly, she had talent. In terms of partnership, I believe there's still Mike/Ruby as a pair on the slopes today, as well as Allegra/Mac and Zoe/Moby. Now that it's only the top ten who qualify, we'll have to see what sort of conflicts arise between these alliances."

"I also hope that Griff Simmons will qualify today. He had such a great run yesterday, I do not want to see him lose."

"Now Maya, let's not forget today's most important contestant; tell me, what do you think of Roxanne Schultz?" I jump out of my stare beyond the horizon at the sound of my name.

"Wow, talk about awesome! I will tell you, Atomika, I had it in from the _very beginning_ that the giant snowboarder Macy was going to pile-drive through and win the whole thing. And here comes Roxanne, pulling off this wild escapade over the final ravine to take him out! I bet his neck is still very sore from that power kick she delivered."

"That's all great what happened in the end, but I was think more along the lines of her action within the mountain. Maybe her combat showoff against Troy in the ice sphere that doomed his run from the very start?"

"Let us not forget the way she evaded Spike and Saskia with her Super Boosters; how resourceful! Most of all, I was afraid that she was out of the race when she intentionally fell off that single ledge, only to give us the most amazing back-country run of a lifetime!" Intentionally? Well...it does sound better than getting blinded and losing balance.

"It sure was, avalanche surfing is not something you see everyday. I cannot wait to see what she'll pull off in today's Cross Peak race event."

DJ Atomika and Maya continue speaking about other racers, but I stop paying attention as my gaze focuses on the track ahead. I can only think about one thing: do I search inside Peak Three?

After a couple more aggravating minutes, DJ Atomika says, "Alright, everyone, with nearly two minutes to go, I will ask everyone to peer on over at today's competitors."

I make one final checkup as the final 120 seconds appears on the screen; boots, pads, short shorts, half-skirt, gloves, backpack with wingsuit and pickaxes, Super Boosters, goggle sunglasses, and white shirt. I also wear a new Life Support Suit, this time covering my legs along with the rest of my body from under my outfit, except for my head. I bend back and ready myself for the race start.

The crowd continues shouting the countdown until the last five seconds. It's an SSX tradition to let the last five pass with no cheering, just before the race begins.

"10! 9! 8! 7! 6!..."

5 - 4 - 3 - 2...GO!

I launch myself out of the gate and onto the rail in front, which dips nearly straight down several feet. Right off the bat I must duck to avoid Ron's fist, which he had thrust toward my head. I spin around, keeping my balance on the thin rail, and face Ron. As he throws his next punch, I bend back and raise my hands into his fist. I grab his fist and, just before I fall backwards on my rail, I pull on his hand, bringing myself back up as Ron is pulled forward and off of his rail. He hits his chest on my rail as I power forward and onto the snow-covered ground.

"_Awesome maneuver there, Rox. Keep an eye out for any other riders who may want to knock you out of the race. They might be a little envious of the talent you've showcased._"

"Aw, Ash, there's no need to flatter me," I say as I ride unharmed next to Psymon, who must also be under oath not to take me out before Peak Three.

"_Yeah Roxanne, that's exactly what I'm trying to do,_" he says sarcastically. "_I don't mean to sound rude, but, tr__y to keep your head in the race at hand_."

I really need to stop teasing with Ash. Yeah, I might like him, but there's too much at stake for that. "Sorry, will do." I approach the first snow ramp. The racecourse after this jump could not be seen from the gates, so I will need to be cautious. "Anything I should look out for up here?"

"_Not much, just easy riding for now, try to pull ahead_." I am a bit far behind, only seven riders are behind me, so I activate my Super Boosters, earning the boost from taking out Ron, while fireworks are set off as I race over the snow ramp.

'Easy riding'? Yeah right; far away from the ramp I see an enormous racing structure that stands hundreds of feet above the snow and over the mountain's steep edge. The steel and wood structure is a massive tornado of man-made snow-covered track, sort of like several helix spins that spiral in and out of itself, but the structure is too complicated to determine from here. Before the entrance of this giant structure are several snowbanks, along with a section of track that splits in two and merges in midair after a steep jump on both sides.

As I begin to fall after jumping off the snow ramp, I perform a Drop Out, taking my front left foot out of the binding and behind my right foot while bending the board toward my neck. I place it back in before I land on the snow. I boost toward the first snowbank on the left, whipping over the side and diving back toward the center of the track before entering the next one. As I approach the next snowbank I turn away from the snowbank's steep turn and squat as I prepare to jump off the end of the snowbank's end section. I race up into the air with intense speed as I push the buttons on my gloves to release both my feet from the bindings. I grab onto the snowboard as I spin around in the air, kicking my feet outward (I think it's the uber trick Indian that I'm doing). I lock my feet back into place as I glide back onto the track.

Up ahead is the track split; both sides lead away from the center and into separate jumps that merge in midair and back onto the track, right before the entrance of the racing structure ahead. I stick to the right side, as to avoid the other two riders going the other direction. I race through a small curved section, grinding over a rail section halfway through, and zoom over the jump to join up with the left track area in midair. I grab the back of my board with both of my hands to preform a Flying Squirrel while doing a backflip, land back onto the snow as I upright myself.

Approximately 200 feet in front of me is nothing but empty space, just beyond the edge of the mountain and the colossal tornado structure of track. This racing structure, which towers directly before and above the steep mountainside, is probably being used to send us back toward Hidden Summit, and before that, the very lengthy ice obstacle course. I approach the structure's entrance, but I am distracted by a huge throbbing pain in my side.

I am flung to the right as a fist slams into my shoulder. I keep upright, as to avoid falling before the mountain's edge. I look over my right shoulder to see Polly, a mid-twenty-year-old wearing a tight black and green outfit, racing at my side. She points at me.

"Feel that, Schultz? I'm calling you out!"

"What's that? You're asking me out?" I yell back over my M-comm headphones, mostly to make Polly angry but partly because I can barely hear my own M-comm over a loud blaring noise. As I keep racing toward the wooden structure ahead, the noise becomes louder.

I didn't want to face the facts, but this racing structure starts off with what must be a completely 90 degree vertical climb up an ice-covered inclined plane. The extremely loud noise turns out to be large metal fans under a metal grated inlet section of the ramp that generates a powerful wind that blows racers up the inclined plane. I must be at least 200 feet above the surface of the mountain's edge as I level back out at the very top of the structure. Time for the helix section.

The helices on this structure are not uniform at all. Sections of this structure dip back down to the ground, back up and through the middle of the helix circle, but continues in a clockwise direction. Even at the beginning of this downward descent my head is spinning like crazy. I try to evade Polly by staying to the right, on the inside of the structure's track. Very bad idea. The track ahead climbs back upward and I am pulled to the very left side. I collide with the wooden fence on the left of the track, snapping the side protectors as if they were built from toothpicks. My momentum is great enough to completely destroy the side fence, but not enough to send me plummeting over the edge and over the mountain's steep side. I am able to recover from the crash, but not fast enough as to keep distance between me and Polly. When I look behind me, Polly is two feet away, ready to sink her fist into the back of my neck.

But before she can knock me out, a pink and white blur comes between the two of us and blocks her attack.

I am astonished by who I see next to me. "KAORI? What are you doing here!"

"You know what this is called Roxanne? This is called doing you a favor the RIGHT way!" I bank further to the right as the helix's turn becomes tighter. "You just make sure you get to Peak Three, okay?"

"But Kaori, she'll knock you out!" Polly must be twice as strong as Kaori. I look back helplessly as the heavily-sloped track keeps me racing forward while Kaori confronts Polly behind me.

Kaori tackles Polly from the side and pushes her to the right of the helix track. It's too sad how easily Polly pushes her off, and she hits Kaori in the forehead. Stuck in a daze, Kaori tries to grab onto Polly's shoulder, but she sees this coming. Polly pulls her in and elbows her in the neck and punches her in the nose. Kaori falls down and rolls forward as we descend down another section of the helices. Kaori, nose bleeding and neck heavily bruised, is barely capable of getting back up as Polly unlocks her right foot's binding and raises her foot above Kaori's head.

"Sorry, Nishidake, but this is MY race!"

"Polly, No!" I cry out, but to no avail. Polly begins to thrust her foot into Kaori's skull.

But another figure in a green hoodie races in and grabs onto Polly's boot.

Kaori recognizes the man in a second. "MAC!"

"Sorry Polly, not today!" Mac says. He pivots around in a circle, still holding onto Polly, and flings her into the helix track behind. She spins off of the side of the helix track as we continue down a sloped curve.

Kaori regains her balance and rides next to Mac. "Wow...you, saved me!" she exclaims, with the biggest smile covering her face.

Great, just great. I'm I really THIS much of a meddler to do what I am about to do?

As Mac, Kaori, and I finally begin to exit the racing structure through the middle of the helix down a steep track slope, I tail press and pivot in a half-circle and face the two riders behind me.

"Alright, you two; do you guys want to know what's REALLY going on?"

Mac and Kaori look toward me, both with confusion on their faces. Time to get these two back together.

I point my right hand finger at Mac and speak into my M-comm. "MAC: YOU think KAORI is mad at YOU because YOU think SHE thinks YOU wanted to be with Allegra instead, but in reality SHE thought YOU wanted to be with Skye instead of HER." I look back forward and position my self to tail slide on a rail ahead. After I grind the short rail, I point at Kaori. "KAORI: YOU think MAC is mad at YOU because YOU think HE thinks YOU were in love with some guy named Sid, but in reality HE thought Sid was only helping YOU out." I slow down and ride between Mac and Kaori. I put my hands on their shoulders. "Look, why don't you guys just forget about what went on in the _Cali Tour_ and just MAKE UP ALREADY!"

Kaori and Mac look at each other, flabbergasted. Kaori is the first to speak up.

"Mac...is this true?" Tears begin to form in her eyes under her pink goggles.

"Wow, Kaori, I had no idea..." Mac says. But when he looks forward, his previous emotions of happiness disappear and his face turns pale. "However, I don't think right now would be a great time to make up."

Both Kaori and I look toward the track ahead. I feel like my lungs lock up as I find it impossible to breathe. Ahead of the three of us is a massive arena of ice, surrounded by giant walls of solid snow. The track ahead of us changes into a sheet of thick ice and plunges into a steep drop. This drop leads into several different tracks, each tubular-shaped track leading into an enormous ice inversion of some form. Further ahead I see coils of ice track, knotted together like a pile of snakes. This mess of loops, twists, and sudden drops must continue on for thousands of feet.

Mac grabs onto Kaori's free hand, her other covering her mouth in astonishment, and says, "Don't worry, Kaori. We'll do this together, just like old times."

Kaori's smile returns. "Alright, let's do this!" She holds onto Mac's hand as they speed ahead down the enormous drop, leaving ME all by myself.

In complete horror of the track ahead, I turn my board to its side. I try to slow myself down, I even contemplate taking my pickaxes out and stopping myself completely, but Ash's voice screams through my M-comm in retaliation.

"_ROXANNE! What's wrong with you?_"

"What the hell, Ash! You said easy FRICKIN' riding! Entering this DEATH MACHINE must be considered a form of SUICIDE!"

With true sincerity, Ash says, "_Come on, this section is NOTHING compared to what you've pulled off. You can do this Rox, I have faith in you; don't you have faith in me, having faith in you?_"

"Um, I guess..." I feel a bit better with Ash's comforting words, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm about to enter hell frozen over.

"_Well then, let's see you make it through this, then. I'm counting on you!_"

A new-found courage forms within me. Without looking back, I activate my Super Boosters and race down the first ice drop.

At the bottom of the drop, there are several track sections that branch out to the left and right, some dropping deeper into the mountain. I keep going straight and into an immense inversion. The top of the ice loop must hundreds of feet above this mammoth enclave's chasm, and it takes me several seconds to complete the inversion. After the loop I am thrusted left into a 90 degree turn that loops around in two full circles, creating a double helix with an adjacent ice track beside me. The track levels out as I speed toward an ice corkscrew that is twenty times larger than the one at Belukha. I bend over to the right to keep myself from sliding off the track, but the lateral forces are too great. I reach for a pickax and fling it into the ice, as to keep myself on the track.

I am able to survive through the corkscrew only to be surprised with a sudden dive deeper into the mess of ice. I accelerate to what must be 100 miles an hour before my stomach falls into my feet when the track levels back out and bends straight up. My speed is great enough to shoot myself up the half loop ahead and fling myself from the loop and into the opposite direction. I grab my board to perform an upside-down tailfish, and let go before I land on the other half of the disconnected ice loop. The track leads into another inversion, a loop with a section of a helix through the middle, creating an interlocking section of track. I continue forward, activating my Super Boosters to help me up the loop.

Halfway through the inversion I look down at the section of track that crosses through the loop, and I see Elise racing in the left direction, with Viggo and a rider named Willy behind her. The loop's final section banks heavily to the left, twisting around in a near-full circle, and leads into an ice ramp. I fly off the jump and somersault forward in midair. Despite my aerial trick, I overshoot the jump's landing ramp and I slam into the solid ice ground. I fall backwards, my backside scraping against the ice, but I keep my head off of the ground. I am able to stand back up straight before racing into an diving roll, where the track shoots upward to the right, inverts, and finishes with a half loop, sending me left of the direction I started.

At this point, I am feeling really great about myself. Most of the things I have encountered I have never imagined in my wildest dreams (dreams? No, dreams are GOOD; this track is borderline nightmare), and I am racing right through them like a pro. Before I enter a barrel roll in the ice track, however, once again I am interrupted by Ash yelling as loud as he possibly can into my M-comm.

"_ROXANNE! Look out for-_" But he's too late. Out of the corner of my eye I am barely able to see what appears to be two sharp blades of steel advancing their way toward me. I try to slow down as Polly, holding both of her pickaxes out, races by me and tears through my midsection with her sharp gear. I scream out in pain, amazingly she had not ripped out my intestines (the Life Support suit must be more effective than I thought), but I lose all sense of direction as I enter the monstrous barrel roll ahead. I bend my knees and do my best to keep myself from sliding off the inversion, with enough success to keep me on the track. Somewhat recovered from the assault, I look toward Polly, who is facing me from the right, as we exit the roll.

"HEY! You can't do that, you freak! You ever read a rulebook?"

"Ah, rules SCHMULES, Schultz," she lifts her weapons over her head, "I'm taking you out of this race MY way!"

And she probably seemed like such a sweet woman before the tournament.

I scowl back at Polly. "Well I'm not going down without a FIGHT!" I take out my pickaxes and race toward my aggressor. I feel like I've been cast in an epic double-sword battle in some major Blockbuster movie as Polly and I, struggling to race through multiple twists, turns, and loops, fight each other on the ice track. Sparks fly as I repeatedly strike Polly's pickaxes with mine, somewhat ineffectively due to my lack of sword-fighting knowledge. After what must be a full minute of constant slashing and parrying, along with riding on an ever-changing and tumultuous surface, Polly, using her pickax's curved side, grapples her weapon into the one in my right hand, pulls it from my grasp and flings it behind her head and into the icy abyss below.

I put my left pickax back into my backpack, I cannot risk losing both. Polly, her eyes oozing with evil, points her weapons back at me as I ride behind her.

"You won't be winning this time, Roxanne! And after I'm done with you, that idiotic duo of riders, Mac and Kaori, will be next! Any last pathetic words?"

That does it. I have had it up to HERE with Polly. But what am I going to do? She's got both of her pickaxes, and I have nothing I want to use. All I have are my wingsuit, which won't help me in this situation, a flashlight hidden in my outfit, and...my board...

I quickly scan my surroundings, searching for any bump in the ground that I can jump off of. About forty feet up ahead, right before the exit from this ice-laden coliseum of madness, is a small snowbank to the right, positioned at a corner of an ice wall. I must be seriously deranged if I'm going to follow through with this plan of mine.

I look back at Polly and say, "Actually, I have one." I press the combination of buttons on my gloves to unlock the bindings on both of my feet, and scream into my M-comm, "DUCK!"

Instantly, I veer to the right as Polly lunges toward me. Just as she thrusts her pickaxes into where I once stood, I ride onto the snowbank and jump off to the left, approaching the air over Polly's head. I grab my board as it falls off of my boots, pull the opposite end of the board over my head, and, as Polly rides right under me, both of her weapons still flung outwards, I force the far end of my board with unrelenting strength into Polly's unprotected face.

Unfortunately for her, she didn't duck.

There's no question about it; Polly is surely out of the race. After I knock her out (LITERALLY), I quickly lock my feet back into the board and land back on the ice as Polly, hitting the solid ground hard, rolls out of control on the ice and off of the track, landing on an ice section below.

I race out of the ice arena and back into the open mountain. I see the colorful town Hidden Summit directly ahead of me as I boost ahead and let out a shout.

"WAHOO!"

"_Roxanne, that was AMAZING!_" Ash yelps from within my M-comm. "_You have no idea how out of control the booth has gotten! You're simply incredible. Can you make yourself any more of a target?_"

"Very funny Ash." More of a target than I already am? Not very possible. I look down at my midsection; the bottom half of my white riding shirt is completely decimated. There's a very noticeable scar on my Life Support Suit from where Polly attacked me with the pickax, but beside all this, I've made it out of the death machine alive.

Ash calms down and tells me, "_Okay, get ready for the Peak Three section, the final Peak Two jump to your right_."

"No prob-wait what?" Ash is correct; right before I hit the base of the Peak Two mountain, the track twists to the right and toward the surface of Peak Three. When I see the final jump, the jump that starts on Peak Two and lands on Three, I also see two openings in the right side of the mountain, one of them being the entrance to the tunnel that Luther pointed out. This second tunnel must lead indirectly into the innermost cavern of the Peak Three mountain.

Time to think this over: do I enter this tunnel and find this cavern? That small Rhodium sample is already two million dollars, why do I need any more? Of course, come to think of it, I would need a lot more if I want to live better off than I already do for the rest of my life. But how much is enough; ten million? Twenty? Fifty? Why stop there, if this cavern is FILLED with this precious metal? I might never have to worry about money, let alone ANYTHING, ever again...

It's in my genes, however, to relay the cons of such a situation. What if there is nothing in this cavern? It could have been just one rock, Luther did say it was only a possibility, and there might not even be an exit out of the cave. Even worse: what if there is no cavern at all. In fact, what if I enter this tunnel and stay on the inside, only to race up to a DEAD END at breakneck speed?

No, that's that; I am NOT risking my life today any further than I already have! I know all the others were counting on me to search for this cave, but the risk is too much for me to take. I am not entering this tunnel, and that's FINAL!

Wow, I really wish I could have made my decision sooner, because just as I decide on NOT entering the Peak Three mountain hole, I find myself landing in the mouth of the tunnel. Well, no turning back now.

"_Hey Rox, where are you going? You have a much better chance of progressing if you're on the surface, and some of these tunnels go way too deep..._"

I lie back to him, "Relax, Ash, I know what I'm doing. I thought you had faith in me!"

With nowhere else to go, I accelerate ahead, using more of my Super Boost, as I progress deeper into the mountain. The tunnel branches out into different tracks several times, but I stick to the rightmost one for all of them (except for the fourth split, I take the left tunnel instead, just as Luther had directed). Eventually, the light in the narrow tunnel decreases and vanishes, so I pull out my LED flashlight for the rest of the tunnel. Another drastic change is the temperature; while the weather is almost always below zero outside, inside this tunnel it becomes downright freezing.

"_Roxa-*kshhhh*-I don-*kshhhhhh*-breaking u-*kshh*-and can't see y-*kshhhhhhhh*_" I turn the M-comm to mute as I travel too deep in the mountain for radio contact. I'm afraid that it could be the last I hear of Ash's voice.

After many minutes of racing practically blind inside the mountain, slamming against the mountain walls at sudden turns and drops and keeping to the right, there is one last track split up ahead. The tunnel on the left continues through the mountain, but the section on the right goes on for less than five feet before ending at an ice wall. I realize that I must turn left, but my speed is too great to anywhere but forward as I am set on a collision course with the wall of ice ahead. I cover my face with my arms as I brace for impact.

The ice wall shatters like glass.

I ride into nothingness as I exit the tunnel. My flashlight slips from my hand as I fall into a pile of snow. It's pitch black in the new room I've crash-landed in, only able to see a jagged wall that the LED flashlight shines onto. I take off my snowboard, blindly walk over to the flashlight, pick it up, and turn around.

Right away I must shut my eyes, for the extreme brightness that follows becomes too intense. In fact, the increasing bright light shines through my eyelids, almost as if my eyes weren't closed at all. Slowly and carefully I open my eyes, keeping my flashlight pointed outward. After I've opened my eyes, I see the entire cavern I'm in. This cave must be at least half-a-mile in diameter, I can just barely see the other side wall ahead of me. In relation to the length of the cave, the ceiling is extremely short; perhaps only 100 feet high. But nothing catches my attention more then the glowing cavern floor. For thousands upon thousands of feet beyond the little section of ground I stand on is a sea of bright silvery-white metal, size ranging from pieces hundreds of feet in length to small pebbles. My flashlight must have reflected off of the surfaces of the metal rocks to cause such powerful light, just like the light I saw up on Peak One.

I fall back on the wall behind me, keeping a firm grasp on the flashlight but dropping my snowboard as I look ahead. All of this is Rhodium; there is no doubt in my mind that this room of rocks is anything but Rhodium. Is it too early to say I'm rich? I cover my mouth as I begin to laugh in sheer happiness. Luther was right, everything that Luther said was absolutely right!

But is that the same for the exit?

Right away my focus changes back to the race. Can I even get out of this cavern? The tunnel where I came from is too high off the ground, so I can't retrace my steps. I turn my M-comm's volume back up, but I only hear the same crackling sound from before. From what I see, there is no apparent exit out of the small room section I'm in, so I begin to hit the ice walls around me with the blunt edge of my snowboard. One ice wall to the left of where I stood cracks after I hit it, and I further break the wall with my fists. I shine my flashlight into the new opening (eliminating the bright light reflection from the Rhodium), and discover that this must be the tunnel out of here, somehow previously covered by the wall of ice. I put my snowboard back on my feet and ride into the new tunnel.

I immediately begin to pick up speed as I race through the narrow ice tunnel. This tunnel continues for about 200 feet until stopping abruptly with yet another wall of ice. Through this opaque wall, however, light from the outside shines into the tunnel, convincing me that this is my ticket out of the mountain. Once again I cross my arms over my face as I break through the thin ice wall.

I see the bright shining sun as I break out of the mountain tunnel. About twenty feet below me, I am surprised with a single railroad track, which turns steadily to the right. I must have come out of a tunnel that is positioned directly above the train tunnel that these tracks lead out of. To the right of me is a cliff face, the wall ending several feet up, and it's quite possible that the racecourse is up there. To my left, however, is a cliff edge, leading into a deep canyon covered by low hovering clouds. My only way forward is on the train tracks.

I land on the left-most rail on the set of track rail, keeping my balance as I grind forward. I try to use my Super Boosters, but I get nothing, my boost time must have run out since I knocked down Polly. I decide, as to build up more boost for speed, to pull off an ubergrind.

Ubergrinds, perhaps even more than uber tricks, are extremely risky to pull off, since it's much more dangerous to do a wacky trick while grinding on a rail than in the air. To improve my chances, I try to perform the Wide Stance ubergrind. I grab onto my bindings and unlock them with the buttons on my gloves, but instead of putting my feet up over my head to do a handstand (ALSO extremely dangerous), I set my feet on the far ends of the board, all while grinding on the left rail on the train track. I keep my balance as I stand on the ends of my snowboard as the track continues to slowly bank to the right.

"_OH MY GOD Rox, have you FREAKING LOST YOUR MIND?_"

I'm startled by Ash's abrupt voice. I forgot that I turned the M-comm volume back up. "Hey, what's going on? I was just inside-"

"_Roxanne! TURN AROUND._"

And that's when I hear the train whistle from behind me.

Aw, why couldn't I hear it before? Of course, rail grinding can get pretty loud, it wouldn't surprise me to mistake a jet taking off for the noise I'm creating. Do I dare turn around?

I slowly twist my head to the left, and a mere TEN feet away I see a charging steam locomotive right behind me! I couldn't believe my eyes; a massive machine of metal, pouring out black clouds from it's smokestack, traveling in my direction from behind. Although I could only see the very front, I am able to see the overall color of the locomotive (BLACK, how appropriate) as well as other colors such as blue, red and purple. The train is not traveling very fast (in fact, judging by the use of such an outmoded form of transportation, it's probably just a tourist scenic run), but then again, neither am I, and I'm the only one slowing down.

I'm grappled by fear right as I see the train, and I easily lose all sense of balance. I twist in a half circle, still standing in Wide Stance and unable to maintain my balance as I now race backwards while facing the train, which is gaining speed. I lose my footing and fall backwards off of the board. Just before my back hits the train track, I grab the edge of the board with my hands and pull it under my butt. I re-balance myself as the edge of the snowboard grinds against the rail while I position myself over it (a Backside Rail Edge Butt-Stand...huh). As the distance between me and the hulking steel giant decreases, I put the bottom of my snowboard back onto the rail, spin around, and stand back up on the board. I lock my boots back in the bindings and activate my Super Boosters, quickly accelerating ahead.

If it weren't for my lightning-fast reflexes, it's quite obvious that I would have swiftly been killed.

"_Roxanne, you gotta get off the track, there's a tunnel that goes on for hundreds of feet up ahead. You'll never make it out if you stay on!_"

"What do you THINK I'm trying to do?" Actually, what CAN I do? I can't go left, there's no race track at the bottom of the ravine that I can see if I use my wingsuit, and I can't go right, the mountain wall is twenty five feet high. Far up ahead, as the track begins to straighten out, I see the entrance to the train tunnel. Frantically I search for something, ANYTHING, that can get me off this track.

And then I see it. On the left side of the track, over the side of the ravine, I see a snow ledge that branches off of the cliff, three feet below the track. This ledge, which is about fifty feet away from me, forms a miniature snow ramp that, if I were to jump onto it, would fling me up into the air, hopefully high enough as to get back onto the racecourse above. I've pulled off so many ridiculous stunts, my next one HAS to work...

I look behind me to check on the train, and I'm capable of resting my hand on the train's cowcatcher, I'm so close! This train is definitely gaining speed, and fast. I have no second thoughts: I fall off of the rail to the left as I approach the small single ledge below. I land on the ledge and jump back into the sky.

VERY bad idea. Racing off the snow ramp doesn't send me to the right and over the train and mountain wall as I'd hoped, but if anything, I'm sent BACKWARDS as the train begins to pass me from the right. Before I fall into the ravine, I pull out my remaining pickax and jam the sharp edge into the locomotive's large cylinder section. A blast of intense fire pours out of the train's side as I tear off the train's metallic skin. After ripping off the side of the locomotive cab, I'm flung off of the engine, over the train's tall black tender, and onto the top of the first passenger car. I spin out of control on the top of the smooth roof section as the sporadically exploding locomotive begins to enter the tunnel.

In a final effort before certain oblivion, I shut my eyes as I throw my pickax into the icy mountain wall. Surprisingly, I am thrown back up into the air, losing my grip on my pickax, and over the mountain wall just before I crash into the mountain section over the train tunnel.

With hesitation, I begin to open my eyes. Not only did I escape the train tunnel, but I have landed back onto the Peak Three racecourse above! I see Allegra riding ahead of me, along with Mike and Elise further up ahead. The snow is once again spray painted with the colored arrows that are present on just about every SSX racetrack. I look behind me to see if Kaori and Mac made it out of the ice track section, but I only see Griff, grinding on a rail section above. I really do hope that they weren't knocked out of the race.

I look back to my left; a large snowbank exists over where the train tunnel must be, and where I almost ended up. I realize I had lost my last pickax, I must have caught onto some sort of solid outcropping that threw me back up, but I'm just thankful to have made it out alive. Who I really feel bad for, of all people, are the poor passengers on that doomed scenic expedition.

I look back ahead on the racecourse. Before I can speak to Ash about the situation, I hear another familiar voice.

"You know how to do a Flare, right Roxanne?"

I turn my head to the right. Out of nowhere, Zoe has appeared at my side, facing me. Seeing how there's a snow jump up ahead, equipped with firework cannons that point up on both sides, Zoe must think that this is the proper time to teach me her signature uber trick.

I've seen people do Flares before, but I have no idea how to actually perform one. Zoe, however, continues on with the lesson before I can tell her the truth. "Okay, the Pommel Me trick is all about momentum. If you can create that powerful Frontside spin and throw your feet into the spin, you'll be able to ride that kick throughout the trick. You're listening, right?"

But I'm not listening. Even as Zoe continues to talk about how and when and whatever, the only person I'm paying attention to is Anton, who has appeared out from behind Zoe. I know too well what he wants to do next: after Zoe had taken out his riding partner, Claude, in the previous race, there must be no other thought in his mind other than REVENGE.

I call out to Zoe as Anton advances toward us. "Zoe, look out behind you!" It's no use, Anton is too close for Zoe to react in time. Instead, just before he jabs her in the back of the head, I grab onto Zoe's left shoulder (her left, my right) and tug her away from Anton's reach. Unfortunately, I had positioned my snowboard sideways, and I trip over the edge and fall backwards, still clinging to Zoe's shoulder. We both fall to the right of the snow jump as I pound the back of my neck onto the firework cannon, causing the cannon to fall forward.

I'm actually pleasantly amazed with the Life Support Suit. Such a hard hit onto a solid object such as the cannon would snap any normal person's neck in half, but the Suit must have done something (maybe it acted like an airbag, blowing up for protection right before impact, I really have no clue) to save my neck, and in turn, to save my life.

What the Suit doesn't protect, however, are my ears. After I roll away from the cannon am assaulted by the noise of firework explosives, meant to shoot up into the air as a person jumps off of the snow ramp. These blasts of fiery heat pound into the base of a concealed snowbank four feet ahead. I check the back of my head; despite the uncomfortably close explosives, my dull black hair remains un-torched.

Zoe, of course, is absolutely furious at me for pulling her off course. She pulls her head out of the snow and bores her eyes into mine.

"DAMN IT ROXANNE! What the HELL is wrong with..." But Zoe's voice trails off halfway through her enraged shouting as she shifts her gaze to the snowbank behind me. The anger in her face melts away as she begins to look afraid, an emotion of fear swimming in her eyes. Perplexed, I look behind me to see what she's staring at.

The bottom section of the snowbank has been melted away by the barrage of fireworks, revealing a box halfway buried within the snow. On the box are the words "WARNING: Firework Explosives" painted in black. I look back at Zoe, her gaze remaining unchanged. I shout aloud in my mind "What's the problem?" as my eyes dart back and forth from Zoe and the box. I mean, come on; it's just a box with fireworks in it! What does she see that I don't?

After about ten seconds, the top of the snowbank begins to cover the box back up. Too much time has been wasted lying here, so I stand up as quick as I can. I help Zoe, still staring down at the snowbank, stand back upright onto her snowboard. I can't help it, I'm legitimately worried for her.

"Come on, Zoe, we gotta finish this race! You'll be okay, right?"

"Um, yeah...don't worry about me, Roxanne. I'll be fine." Her countenance says somewhat the opposite, looking as if she had just witnessed a natural disaster, but she rides away and back onto the racecourse. I follow right behind her as Ash talks into my M-comm.

"_What happened back there, Rox?_"

"Oh, nothing important, I guess." I bend to the left as I descend down a steep slope. "Anything I should look out for? And DON'T say 'easy riding,' I've had enough of THAT all this race." What a fact indeed...and I'm pretty sure grinding away from an accelerating 200 ton steam locomotive was never on the list.

"_Right...if you can manage not to kill yourself on the next ravine, you'll be jumping into Peak Four up ahead. Followed by Julius and an ice river run to the Finish. If you were able to make it through all THAT back there, the rest will truly be eas...um, never mind._"

Unlike the first three peaks, Peak Four does not rest next to Peak Three, just as the other two peaks do in a straight line. Peak Four is located behind Peak Three, the reason why the race track runs for nearly a full circle around Peak Three before branching off near the top of Peak Four. While this final peak is short compared to the other three, the rest of the track runs down the opposite side of the peak's width, through the town of Julius and the ice river thing, followed by the finish line.

I speed up one final hill before entering down an enclosed drop. Partially covered by the mountain, this steep drop banks left as it transitions into a snow ramp, the final jump off of Peak Three and onto Peak Four. There is a lengthy gap between the two peaks, but I soar over the gap and land back on the snow-covered ground. Only one more peak track section to go.

The first section of this peak's track is a downhill run through tall, snow-capped trees, all of them growing a bit too close together. I swerve around several trees, barely missing the thick brown trunks as I speed through the tree-littered track. Up ahead I see a line of trees resting on the ground. I plant my board on the first tree, grinding along its horizontal trunk while using my Super Boost to accelerate.

Ash speaks into my M-comm as I jump off the last tree trunk. "_You're about to enter Julius, Rox. It's about a mile run through the town, and most of it is pretty level so try to keep up your speed._"

Julius is like any mountain town I've seen next to a ski resort, most of the buildings are made from wood, snow covering each roof, and very few vehicles. This town also has only one road going through the middle, and I decide to stay on this ice-covered pavement. Up ahead, however, an 18-wheel truck, equipped with one of those enormous rectangle storage containers, is blocking the road ahead. I plan to turn to the left and avoid the truck, but I see Psymon, who is in front of me, pull out his wingsuit, a see-through model with a black skull across the two halves. He is pulled up into the air (by air resistance, I'm guessing) and over the truck.

Intrigued by this action, I try to mimic Psymon's success, pulling out my wingsuit before I run into the semi. The air resistance, however, is over-powering, and the whiplash causes me to let go of both handles on my wingsuit just before I glide over the rectangular storage box. My hands slide on the top of the box as I try and keep myself over the truck. Somehow, the buttons on the glove on my right hand press against the roof of the box in such a combination as to release my right foot from its binding.

I'm given quite the surprise when I land back on the frozen street, having to balance on only my left foot. Unable to control myself, I turn to the right onto a sidewalk and into the drive-thru section of a McDonald's restaurant. Placing my right foot back into the binding, I guard my face as I ride between a Minivan and a drive-thru window. I unknowingly snatch a bag of McDonald's food from midair before I race out of the area and back onto the road. I let the McDonald's bag drop to the ground behind me; I'm all for free food, but I've had so much disgusting fast food that's it's NOT EVEN FUNNY.

I'm so caught up in discarding the food that I neglect the yellow-colored bulldozer DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME. The bulldozer's blade, fortunately, is shaped like a simple ramp that bends nearly straight up, so I shoot back up into the air after I ride straight into it. I land on the edge of a rooftop, grinding backside on the metal rain gutter. After jumping from roof to roof, I ride off of the gutter I'm grinding on and race back onto the main road.

I speak into my M-comm, "How much more of this, Ash? I don't like this town..."

"_There's one last straight section ahead that goes down a hill, followed by a railroad crossing and the entrance to the final leg of the race._"

"JUST a railroad crossing? I'm pretty sure I can handle...uh oh." It's almost as if I can hear it before I see it.

As I ride up to the top of the final downhill stretch, about a quarter-of-a-mile long descent down a road surrounded by some trees and wooden buildings, I see the railroad crossing up ahead. What I hear at first, however, catches my attention more than the train track. In the distance, inexplicably coming from my right side, is the sound of a train barreling down a pair of metal rails. I look in the direction of the noise, and there it is: I can barely see it, but out in the distance is the very same black steam locomotive from before.

And how do I know it's the same train? The entire steam engine is completely on fire.

"_Oh, one last thing, watch out for the train up ahead. It's kind of on fire._"

I don't know what kind of internal damage I inflicted, but I could see the orange and yellow flames raging out of the large crack that I ripped open from the side of the engine. The fiery train is rather far away, but I can tell that it's going fast, fast enough to surpass me at the railroad crossing. If I don't think quickly, I'll surely be blocked by the speeding train.

I'll never finish in time to qualify if I can't get past this track! Jumping over the train is out of the question; not only are there no rooftops at the bottom to jump off of, but the only ramp placed before the tracks would not help me jump twenty feet into the air. I also do NOT want to try flying over with the wingsuit just as I did with the semi, since I don't want to land on the burning train.

And if I can't go around or over the train, then THROUGH is my only option.

I'm going to need a pickax. As I begin to race down the final hill before the railroad crossing, I ride over to Mike and take his right pickax from his backpack. He doesn't think twice before protesting.

"HEY! You can't take-"

I pivot around and punch Mike clean in the face with my left hand, knocking him into the icy ground. I don't have time for complaints.

"_Um, Roxanne...what are you up to?_"

"Something, uh...not very well thought out," I tell him. "You wouldn't approve it if I told you."

"_Well then, by all means go right ahead, Rox. You seem to be good at those kinds of plans_." He laughs from within his booth while I pay attention to the reckless wave of fire heading for the crossing ahead. I lean forward, holding my new gear in hand, as I accelerate down the elevated roadway.

I'm shooting for the locomotive cabin; I tore off a huge section and left a gaping hole where the cab is located. If this locomotive is anything like renovated steam engine trains today, it will be computer run, so there shouldn't be anyone in my way. I hit my top speed racing down the hill, using my Super Boosters to assist my speed.

About 200 feet before the crossing I can see the train closing in from the distance, its driving wheels spinning like blades on a buzz saw within a cloud of fire.

I hold the pickax down in my right hand as I reach for the wingsuit handles at my waist. I see the locomotive cabin, releasing an inferno of scorching heat from its deep cavity.

Only 100 feet now. The train must be hitting a speed of 70 mph, there's no question to whether it will reach the crossing before me.

50 feet to go. Viggo barely crosses the train tracks as the train enters the crossing. I race up to the small snow ramp that rests before the train crossing and jump toward the blazing train.

My jump is right on target. Just before I enter through the locomotive cabin and its fiery shield, I pull the handles on my wingsuit up. Instead of opening the wingsuit, however, I pull the flaps up and around my head, covering my entire upper body with the wingsuit flaps. I hold the pickax facing away from me as I fly inside the blazing locomotive cabin and tear through to the other side of the train's cab. I let go of the wingsuit handles and spin back onto the road as the burning engine storms away behind me.

I hear a clapping noise coming from my M-comm. "_Very nice, Roxanne. How...rather expected of you._"

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" I look back at the speeding passenger cars behind me as I turn left into the snowy forest ahead. Aside from some painful burns on my legs (the Life Support Suit didn't do the best job at protecting my lower body from the flame-throwing firebox inside the cab), I made it through alive, and just in time to finish the final section of the race.

"_Alright, Rox, only one last section to go. Just power through this frozen river and the finish line is right after. You still got several riders ahead so don't wait up!_"

"That won't be a problem, Ash." I place Mike's pickax into my backpack. Time to get this over with.

The tree-enveloped snow I ride into leads down to the opening of a tall canyon. Inside this deep ravine is a bumpy river of ice that covers the bottom of the canyon, along with several more trees that have fallen into the ravine's river and have trapped beneath the frozen water. I enter the canyon and land onto the ice.

Right away I have trouble with handling inside the canyon. The bumpy surfaces on the ice make it impossible to get anywhere without hopping into the air and losing speed. I take back out the stolen pickax and drag it across the river as I attempt to navigate on the frozen water. After about ten seconds of rapidly twisting through the canyon I approach Ruby, and another several feet away is a frozen waterfall drop, with two parallel tree trunks frozen in the waterfall that branch off and away from the waterfall.

I race up to Ruby as to knock her down, but she turns around and attacks me first. She punches me in the abdomen and pushes me over the side of the waterfall. I land upside-down between the tree trunks, the edges of my board grinding on the separate trees. I flip back upright as I exit the trunks, holding the back of my board to perform a Tail WAG, and land back onto the ice river ahead of Ruby. I continue using the pickax to aid my handling as I veer to the right inside the canyon.

The track ahead splits into several different ice rivers inside the ravine. I take the far left track, avoiding Griff, Moby, Elise, and Allegra whom I see riding down the other tracks. This left track continues with the frozen river until it drops into a small snow half pipe within the canyon and leads up to a dead end, save a narrow tunnel opening. I race into the bright ice tunnel, keeping my head low enough as not to hit the icy ceiling.

This narrow tunnel exits out into an open area surrounded by more canyon walls. Placed after this tunnel is a snow ramp, and after this ramp is nothing but flat ice ground. This icy surface surrounds the entire open area, all the way up to a small opening in the canyon that's about 200 feet away. This shouldn't be too difficult.

I speed up and over the snow ramp, jumping off and performing a Katana, taking my feet off of the board and spinning it around in circles with the binding. I lock my feet back onto the board as I land on the ground of ice.

The sound of a giant CRACK follows my landing.

I spin my head around to look behind me. My fall caused a massive smash in the ice, sort of like what you get when you hit a car window with a baseball. After the loud noise, however, I hear several smaller cracking sounds after it as the smash in the ice gets BIGGER.

And that's when I realize: this isn't just frozen ground...

...this is a frozen lake.

I immediately kick it into high gear as the multitude of cracks begin to envelop me. I activate my Super Boosters to evade the rifts of ice that form from behind. I feel the spray of ice-cold water on the back of my neck as the icy surfaces snap in half. I lean forward and attempt to accelerate faster than the ice is traveling.

Far up ahead is a small dome-shaped opening, possibly an entrance down a waterfall. I'm still very far away from the exit when I run out of boost from my Super Boosters.

I begin to swerve away from the cracks in the ice. This does me no good, as the cracks seem to follow me wherever I go.

Only 100 feet away from the canyon hole now...

The ice ahead of me starts to form cracks and shatters apart, creating an obstacle of raising ice sheets that's disappearing fast.

Just 50 feet more to go...

I glance back behind me; the entire surface of ice near the snow ramp I jumped off of has completely broken apart, giving a view of the freezing water beneath it.

20 feet.

As the ice begins to shatter from right below me, I race onto a sheet of ice that has angled upwards, and aim myself toward the canyon exit as I jump. My leap of faith, unfortunately, is ill-fated, as my target for landing becomes a section of the lake just before the waterfall exit. For a split second I hydroplane on top of the water before falling forward, over the frozen waterfall and down the side of a cliff face on the other side of the canyon.

I am completely exhausted of any and all energy as I land and race back onto the snow-covered ground below the waterfall exit. I can hardly recall what happens after the lake section as I ride back onto the main course, down one final enclosed track dive, and into the finish line.

Thousands of bright lights surround me, along with large TV screens and more audience seating areas. I fall to the snowy ground as thousands of people cheer from the seats. As more and more racers appear around me, I begin to question if I qualified at all.

I manage to sit up, my board still connected to my boots, and talk into my M-comm. "Hey Ash...what happened? I uh, qualified, right?"

"_QUALIFIED? Rox, you finished in 1st Place! __YEAH!_"

I got 1st? I look up into the air as an overhead voice begins to speak.

"How incredible! Against all odds, Roxanne Schultz takes 1st Place in the Cross Peak race event!" The voice continues naming off the other qualifying competitors, but my mind continues to relay what Ash told me. Thousands of fans begin to scream at the top of their lungs as I, once again brimming with energy, jump back up and wave back at the crowd. Moby, Viggo and I are escorted to a three-tiered stand, with me standing on the highest one in the middle. I look over at the other racers as I wave to the crowd ahead, but beside from Viggo and Moby I couldn't tell who else qualified.

"_Hey Roxanne...you got a second for me?_"

"Haha, sure Ash, what do you need?" I turn my gaze away from the audience in front of me and off into the distant sky away.

"_Well, I was thinking about what you said yesterday, you know, before the Peak One race..._"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"_You asked me if you wanted to meet for coffee, and, I don't know but...I'll be getting off from this booth work right after the Peak Three race. You still want to go to a Coffee Shop down in Jupiter City after tomorrow's race?_"

I don't think twice before shouting, "Yes, that would be awesome! I would love to go there, Ash."

"_Alright then, and who knows? We might even be celebrating a second victory tomorrow._" Wow...1st Place and a date? I really am lucky. "_Sorry Rox, but I gotta go. Hope to talk to you tomorrow, signing out._"

The M-comm noise switches back over to DJ Atomika and Maya Nolet. I take my Headphones off of my ears and place them around my neck. Two races down, and only one more to go before, if I win, I can put my snowboarding career behind me.

And what about the Rhodium? In all of the excitement with the train and the lake, I've totally forgotten about the hundreds upon thousands of those $2,000,000 rocks. Even if I place last in tomorrow's race, I'm still sitting on a probable fortune.

I look back out toward the fans, somehow still screaming since the end of the race. Saying no to that businessman in my motel room over a week ago would have been the worst decision of my life. Not only have I won the second race, but I've found a cavern full of priceless metal AND I get to go on a date with Ash after the final race. This tournament can only get better.

Or is that just how I see it?

END CHAPTER


	15. Ch XV: Left Forever Wishing

**CHAPTER XV: Left Forever Wishing**

* * *

><p>NINE OTHER FINALISTS IN TOMORROW'S RACE, AND I KNOW THEM ALL TOO WELL.<p>

Viggo made the most improvement from his previous run. After finishing in 20th in the Peak One race, Viggo finished after me to take the 2nd place spot. Moby kept his previous placement of 3rd. Following Moby was Allegra, finishing ahead of Psymon, to take 4th and 5th place, respectively. Elise finished soon after the two, taking 6th. There was a tie for 7th and 8th, as Mac and Kaori both crossed the finish line together (I learned after the race that they both MUTED their lookouts just so they could talk to each other down Peaks Three and Four). Griff was the 9th place finisher right behind both Mac and Kaori. Zoe had the hardest run down the final peak stretch. Before barely finishing in 10th place both Ruby and Anton were on her tail trying to take her out of the event. I feel like I hold part of the blame for her poor performance; she seemed very upset after the incident with the fireworks box.

My best guess is that everyone else is still down at the Party Room in the Hidden Summit Resort. I, for one, have decided to skip the after-race party and crash for the rest of the night in my room, leaving my outfit, gear, and snowboard on the floor next to my bed. After resting in the huge bathtub (STILL heavenly after the third use) I lie flat on my soft bed wearing my night clothes, my hair still dripping wet, and look up at the decorated ceiling.

Am I still excited for tomorrow? Not really. Yeah, I felt all hyped up for the final race after today's agonizing run through the mountains, but now, I'm not so sure. Aside from Ash and the hidden Rhodium within Peak Three, I really hope that tomorrow doesn't come. This sport is really getting on my last nerves. Even if it's just one more race, do I really want to go through with it?

My contemplation is interrupted by a ringing, coming from the hotel telephone on my left. Initially I think about leaving it alone, but I pick the phone up after a couple of seconds.

"Hello? Who is this?"

An eager voice chimes from the speaker. "Good Evening, Roxanne Schultz! This is DJ Atomika, the official announcer for the _SSX Tournament Spectacular_. I was hoping that you could answer a couple questions for us here on Radio BIG, just a short interview over the phone. Are you up for it?"

I resist the urge to instantaneously hang up the phone. "Sure, what do you have for me?"

"Well Roxanne, you had quite the amazing run today. Not only did you have some spectacular racing on the course, finishing in 1st place, but you managed to evade getting knocked out of the race several times, by other racers and from the elements of the racecourse around you." The images of Ron, Polly, Anton, Ruby, the obstacle course on Peak Two, the frozen lake, the train track, and the burning train times two forcefully bounce around inside my head. "The real question is, however, is your placement in the SSX League. If I'm correct, this is your first Advanced League SSX Event?"

"Um...yeah, it is."

"So, why have you waited so long to merge into the Advanced League, after riding off-League for your entire snowboarding career?"

I say whatever comes to my mind first. "I must say, Atomika, I stayed in the off-League..solely for the thrill. The weather, the environments, the danger...it's why I started snowboarding in the first place! Some mountain tracks just aren't as thrilling with a Life Support Suit covering your body, eliminating that sensation of life-or-death! That's why I've taken a few risks out on the slopes these past two days, a little bit of cliff-falling, avalanche surfing, and train racing here or there, to relive that oh-so satisfying sinking feeling I got in the off-League."

"Outstanding, but, it sounds like you truly prefer the off-League, yet here you are in an Advanced SSX Tournament. Why make the transition to the Advanced League?"

More meaningless words continue to roll off my tongue. "Perhaps the fame, I guess. Take Griff Simmons for example: At age 12 he was the youngest SSX racer ever in the SSX League, starting at the _Triple Peak Tour_. Soon afterwards he has become massively famous in the snowboarding sport, with more sponsorships than Tony Hawk. He started out on the surface, and he's still huge today. Why, I'm racing AGAINST him tomorrow!"

"Yes, that is right, Griff qualifying as the second to last finalist in today's Cross Peak Race Event."

"Conversely, there is another hugely successful rider named Hiro Karamatsu. Have you heard of him?"

There is a slight pause over the phone, followed by Atomika saying, "No...I, don't believe I have."

"I'm not surprised. Hiro was one of the first snowboarders in the _SSX Tour_ a decade ago. After recovering from a leg injury he suffered in the tour, he switched over to off-League events. He's one of the fastest Alpine racers in the world, and he still holds the highest average speed of any SSX racer."

"Wow, that's a rather incredible feat. Had you ever raced against him yourself, Roxanne?"

"Um, I don't think so," I've beaten him TWICE, as a matter of fact, "but it goes to show how little recognition is given to off-League racers. That's why I've crossed over, to make a name for myself, you know?"

"I see. Thank you, Roxanne Schultz, I think we've gotten the best answers from you. I'll be seeing you out on Peak Three tomorrow."

"Hey, and I'll be hearing from you, Atomika!"

Atomika kindly says, "Thanks, goodbye," before the phone buzzes with the ended call noise.

My remaining energy drains out of me like a rubber duck in a maelstrom as I hang the phone back on its base and slam my head against cushioned pillows. That was easily the longest and most profound string of lies that I have ever made to anyone ever.

Five minutes after DJ Atomika's call, my growling stomach causes me to sit back up on the bed's side. After getting up at 5:00 in the morning to search around Peak Three with Kaori, walking around Hidden Summit and racing in the Cross Peak event, just now I realize that I haven't had a single thing to eat all day. I turn back over to the phone and pick it up. I'm about to press the room service key, but something else catches my eye.

Over on the hotel desk on the other side of the room is a stack of hundred dollar bills, my $1,000 prize for winning the Cross Peak race. The desk lamp shines brightly on the tabletop, further enhancing the view of the paper money.

Once again, I put the phone back onto its base. I cannot hold this off any longer.

I get off of the bed and walk over to my travel bag. As I rummage through the mess of bright flashy kids clothes, I pull out an envelope, a piece of paper, and several stamps. I walk over to the desk and sit down on the chair, picking up the black pen available on the desk. I begin to write on the envelope, addressing the envelope to a woman named Charlotte, leaving no return address at the corner. After putting seven mail stamps on the envelop (for special overnight delivery) I open the envelope and stuff the ten hundreds into the paper casing. I set the envelope aside and pull the piece of paper in front of me, the black pen in hand. It takes me what feels like hours to write the first two words at the top left side of the paper:

* * *

><p><em>Hi Mom,<em>

* * *

><p>I double over, turning away from the desk, as tears well up in my eyes. Why do I do this to myself? I force myself to continue writing:<p>

* * *

><p><em>I hope that everything is okay. I always try to consider that what I'm doing is having some positive impact on whatever current unfortunate outlook. As usual, it's my constant worry whether the money I'm sending home is helping or not, and the fact that I cannot is what pains me.<em>

_The twins are going to be twelve on Friday, correct? I clearly remember it's in March, but I can't recall if it's the 9th or the 10th. Either way, please tell Bethanny and Clayton that I wish them a very Happy Birthday. __I know it's not much as I am able to send, but here's a little bit more that I've earned from my travels. You could use it for the twins' Birthday party, or save it for them for a holiday. You can spend it on yourself or for rent and food, if you really want to. I will leave it up to you._

_As for me, everything is going quite well. I'm able to hold a few well-paying steady jobs here and there, but like I've always said in the past, it's almost always an age issue, although as the years continue to roll onwards my inaccessibility to employment is thankfully beginning to wain. The sights I've seen are just breathtaking, so it sort of makes the travel worthwhile, you know, if I do ever have to move, which is still very often._

_Oh, I really do wish I knew. I would pen every single question right here, and again, ten times, a hundred times. If you do still receive my letters, I am certain you must have memorized each one by now, so I will free my hand of the matter. _

_To be brutally honest, I have no idea what to write anymore. I don't want to send a letter with no meaningful content, but, it's just so hard, especially when I ramble on. There really is not much else I can write then, besides that I continue to hope that you, Beth and Clay are okay._

_Again, please remember: do not move, no matter what. I know I always write this section in, but I'm sure you know how desperately vital this instruction is._

_I will write to you again. As soon as I receive anything new, I will make sure it is on it's way. Lastly, just know that you're always on my mind. Always._

_With l__ove, your Daughter._

* * *

><p>I let the pen roll off the desk and fall to the floor. I've been crying now, my tears falling onto the paper. The circular wet craters they leave behind are mixed with the black ink on my letter.<p>

It's always the same, no matter how many times I repeat the ritual, the harsh reality of my crippling predicament is always present. Harsh indifference is impossible - total weakness and enfeeblement are inescapable. At one time in my life I had to give up, and leave everything I knew behind to pursue something I never wanted. Every minute of every day I deny myself the only thing that I desire more than anything in the world, and I'm left forever wishing that I never made a change.

With my eyes nearly dried of tears, I place the letter within the envelope, right beside my prize money. I seal the letter and check for anything I might have missed; address, stamps, and contents inside. Before I can eat, I must have this delivered, ASAP. It takes the least amount of time to mail a letter across the world when using special overnight delivery, but I don't want to waste a single second. I stand up from the chair, sprint over to the entrance to my hotel room, and open the door.

I'm absolutely shocked to find Mac, standing in front of my door, ready to start knocking.

"Mac? What are you doing here?" I hide the envelope behind my back.

"Oh, hey Roxanne. Uh...were you sleeping or something?"

"Hey there, you two..." I turn to the left as Kaori runs down the hall, jumps lightly onto Mac, and kisses him on the cheek. "You ready, Mac-kun?"

"Haha, I sure am, sweetheart." Wow, I guess what I said during the Cross Peak race really did bring them back together. While I'm happy for the two of them, I can't help but notice that Kaori and Mac are still wearing their entire snowboarding outfits, complete with boarding backpacks and Life Support Suits. Kaori wears her pink and white striped suit with black straps while Mac is dressed in his casual jeans and green hoodie under his riding pads.

After greeting Mac, Kaori looks over at me, her arms resting around Mac's neck. "Hello, Roxanne-san. We didn't get to say it before, you know...out on Peak Two? It was really cool what you did for us. What a terrible misunderstanding we had those four years ago!"

To stop myself from breaking into a fit, I endure my heartwarming smile and tell them, "Well, what's there to say? It definitely felt like the right time to say something, given that moment on the helix thing with Polly. It's great that you two are finally back together."

Kaori's happiness changes into bewilderment as she looks down at my clothes. "Roxanne-san...are you going to sleep so soon?"

"Me? Yeah, maybe, I didn't plan to go to the after-race party...say, aren't you guys supposed to be down there, in the Party Room?"

"Nah, the rest of us decided to skip it. It was terrible yesterday, anyways," Mac says, removing Kaori from his neck and putting his arm around her shoulder. "We're all going to go meet down in Julius, Viggo saw this restaurant during the race, and he's gonna take us down there. I told Kaori to meet me here so we could ask you to come, too."

"Yes! You'll come, won't you Roxanne-san? PLLLLEEEEAAAASE?" Kaori clasps her hands together, bends her knees as to put herself level at my height, and gives me the biggest smile fit for any cartoon show. Her plea, however, doesn't last long. "Hey...what's that you're holding behind your back?"

Drat, there's no hiding the envelope any longer. I hold the addressed letter out in front of me. "Oh...you mean this? This thing? In my hand? Nah, it's nothing, just...a...um...LETTER, you know? Just, sending a little note to...a...a best friend of mine, hahahahaha!" I try to laugh the situation off, waving my arms around as I speak, but Kaori and Mac just look at each other. I know what they'll ask next: why send a letter via mail when emailing or instant messaging or whatever is so much faster?

Before Mac or Kaori gets the chance to ask, I quickly change the subject in their favor. "How about this: I'll go get ready to head out, and after I have this mailed, we can go to Julius!" I jump up, lift my arms and shoulders up, and don the biggest smile my cheeks can afford.

Thankfully, this tides them over. Kaori claps in excitement, "Awesome!" I walk back into my hotel room, bringing Kaori and Mac inside.

"Although I have to say, guys," I tell Mac and Kaori as I grab a small winter jacket from my travel bag, "you two should really change into something more...comfortable. I don't know how the outfit and backpack will suit you on the drive down to Julius."

Right after I say this, Mac and Kaori begin to laugh uncontrollably. I have no clue what it was I said that threw them overboard...maybe it's the night clothing with a jacket? Mac is able to calm down from his laughter before telling me:

"Man Roxanne, that's funny...but, who said anything about DRIVING?"

Oh dear God. I know all too well where this is heading.

END CHAPTER


	16. Ch XVI: Impossible to Regret

**CHAPTER XVI: Impossible to Regret**

* * *

><p>"SERIOUSLY GUYS? DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS?"<p>

"Roxanne-san...would you RELAX?" Kaori tells me, as we struggle to walk up the side of the Peak Three mountain. "Just a little bit more climbing, and then we can get to the good part."

Oh, yeah, the 'good part.' It's bad enough that I was already out here in this area this morning.

I stop and turn around to look out at Hidden Summit. The small ski town is a beacon of bright colorful lights, the residents and shop owners still preparing for tomorrow's final race, the Peak Three Extraordinaire. I look to my left to see the relatively short, but still enormous, Peak Two mountain, and beyond that, Peak One. I can even see the final section of the Cross Peak racetrack on Peak Two; the track emerging from the opening of ice that exits out from the ice track obstacle course, turns to the right before Hidden Summit and ends at one final jump onto the Peak Three mountain.

After walking up a steep slope between Peaks Three and Two, Mac, Kaori and I reach the beginning track section on Peak Three. I realize that I haven't ridden on any of the Peak Three track ahead, since I took the tunnel route into the mountain from the Peak Two jump (I think I saw the tunnel mouths on the mountainside on the way up here) instead of the above ground route during the race. I look back at Kaori and Mac with a questioning glare.

"So...this is, safe? Not only is it pretty dark, but, riding on the track after hours seems...against rules and, stuff." I peer up at the sky. Although we left the Resort at around 6:30, the mountains shroud any evidence of light from the setting sun.

Mac begins to put his board gloves on. "It's completely fine, Schultz, I've seen people riding down Peak One since the first race ended. I'm sure no one minds if we're out here."

"Are you going to be ready soon?" Kaori asks me, her boots already locked onto her board as she puts on her backpack.

"Sure, just...gimme a sec." I take my backpack off of my shoulders and set it in front of me. Instead of wearing my riding outfit as both Kaori and Mac do, I decided to borrow a large red sweatshirt and black sweatpants from a clothing store in Hidden Summit. I don't care much about my current look; those super-short jeans and petite shirt weren't going to protect me from this cold night air, especially since I didn't bring my Life Support Suit with me. Oh well...I don't expect much danger from a casual ride down to Julius anyways.

After I put on my elbow-pads and kneepads over my sweatshirt and sweatpants, I strap on my board gloves and lock my feet into my board bindings. I check my backpack for everything necessary: the wingsuit, a flashlight, and brand-new pickaxes from Brodi's store. Although I'm ready to leave, Kaori and Mac gaze at me with concern.

"Roxanne-san, are you sure you'll be okay without your Life Support Suit? I'm not certain if riding here is allowed, but it's still a tournament policy to wear one whenever you snowboard."

I wave my hand out at Kaori. "Oh, come on, I'll be fine! Besides, I've competed without one of those suits plenty of times, and we're just free-riding, right?"

Mac stands straight up after locking his boots into his board. "She'll be fine, Kaori. Roxanne must be the _queen_ of free-riding. How do you think she does all that cool stuff?"

Wait...what? I try to think back as Mac and Kaori continue talking. Why, in all of my years as a snowboarder, tonight will be the first time I free-ride. No tournaments, no events, no money...just free, causal, nonchalant boarding on the snow. It's quite sad to say, it's an idea that's completely new to me.

In fact, the idea is so opposite to what I'm accustomed to, I find myself scared of free-riding. "Hey, uh, guys?" I unlock one foot from my board and propel myself over to Mac and Kaori. "Would it be okay if you helped me with riding down this track section? I...don't recall much of the mountain."

Kaori places her board gloves (which actually look a lot like mittens) on her cheeks. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She takes off her backpack and reaches into one of the front pockets. She pulls out a small white earpiece. "Here, take this."

"What is it," I ask, although I sort of already know the answer.

Kaori pulls her hand back in and looks at the object. "Well, I noticed that you forgot to bring those bulky headphones of yours, so I rented these from Brodi's store when you got those pickaxes. You'll still wear them?"

I'm somewhat reluctant to take the earpiece, but then again, I have nothing to hide out here. I take the white M-comm out of her hand and place it in my left ear.

Kaori puts her backpack around her shoulders and places her pink and black M-comm headphones over her head. "Does the earpiece work?"

I press a tiny button on the back part of the M-comm. "Yep, it's on." I ponder for a moment, and ask, "Now, what if we're too far away to speak to each other?"

"Don't worry, I made sure to set the M-comm communication distances so that we can still talk to each other, no matter how far away."

Mac, who is standing behind Kaori, yawns and puts his hands behind his head. "So...are we going to do this today, or..."

Kaori spins around to face Mac. "Well, if we're all ready then..." She turns back to me. "...are you ready to ride?"

I inspect my sorry excuse for a riding outfit: sweatpants, sweatshirt, boots, snowboard, elbow-pads and kneepads. Not only did I not have a Life Support Suit, but I'm without my M-comm headphones and goggle sunglasses as well. I pull on the straps of my backpack, remembering the wingsuit and pickaxes, including two metal cans of Super Boost power fuel inside. Connected to these fuel canisters are the Super Boosters that rest above my thumbs. Since it's not an event, the Boosters will work whenever I press down on the buttons, so I should have around a full twenty minutes of non-stop boost, more than enough for the ride down to Julius.

Not being left with many other options, I answer Kaori by simply saying, "Yep!"

Not even a second after I say this, Mac activates his Boosters and jumps forward into the track. "Let's do this, yo!"

"I'm right behind you, Mac-kun!" Kaori does the same. Tentatively, I press down on my Boosters and lean forward. The force from the boost is enough to propel me onto the track.

The Peak Three racecourse doesn't let up for one moment. After about ten seconds of accelerating in a horizontal direction on the mountain side, we race up to a solid wall of snow. Placed before this towering wall is the entrance to a clear glass tunnel. This large glass tube spirals up to the right and next to the mountain, continuing inside a crevice within the mountain while going in the opposite direction the three of us are facing. The clear tunnel juts away from the mountain and turns back toward the snow wall. A funnel-shaped jump placed thirty feet above our heads marks the end of this glass tube, which I'm guessing is supposed to be our ticket over this wall of snow.

Kaori squeals from within my M-comm. I look over at her and see that her enthusiasm is very real. "Oh...I loved this part!"

Mac's head faces Kaori as she says this. He turns around to face me. "You gonna be good, Rox?"

Rox. That one word sparks a strange feeling within me. The only person who has called me that so far is Ash. I wonder what he's doing now...I hope he's not too busy, so that he won't be delayed for our coffee date. After tomorrow's race is the only thing I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

I pull my self back into reality to answer Mac's inquiry. "Come on, I think the queen of free-riding can handle a little tube. I'm right behind you guys!"

Mac turns his attention to the track ahead just in time to zoom through the glass tunnel's entrance, Kaori following right behind him. A split second after them, I race into the wide glass tube opening, my momentum thrusting me onto the side of the tunnel as I spiral upwards and next to the adjacent mountain wall. The glass wall on the left side of the tunnel, which rests on the side of the mountain, is replaced with a miniature rock waterfall that extends all the way to the end of the mountain tunnel section.

This waterfall catches me off guard. Phosphorescent lights of all colors shine dimly behind the vertical slabs of rock, giving the water a chilling rainbow-esque glow. I look forward; Kaori, about twenty feet ahead, takes off her left mitten glove and places her hand over the falling water, her fingers displacing drops of water as she speeds through the tunnel, the water still retaining it's colorful shimmer.

Even for someone like me, it's a spectacular sight, and the best part of all is that there's no threat of competition to diminish my fascination.

This mountainside tunnel, along with the decorative waterfall, continues for about twenty-five feet before the tunnel breaks away from the mountain, restarting the glass tube from before. My mass nearly shatters through the seemingly thin glass as my lateral force keeps me on the side of tunnel. I look through the base of the glass tunnel and view the snowy racing track that we had been riding on prior to the tunnel. After the tunnel straightens out, facing us back in the direction of the snow wall, I crouch down towards my board, readying myself for the jump ahead. I gaze at the funnel-shaped jump out of the glass tube as Kaori and Mac jump into the air.

Immediately after his leap, Mac detaches his feet from his board and does a Chocolate Thunder, lifting his entire board over his head and back as he spins around in a clockwise motion. Kaori lifts the board from her boots and preforms a double back flip while executing a Smithereen, moving the board around her body in a wide circle with her hand as she shifts her feet around before taking the board under her feet and setting them back into the bindings.

In contrast, I do a Goomba Grab, twisting around to grab the nose of the board with my left hand from the back. After we have landed on a smooth snow section beyond the jump, Kaori gives me a quizzical look.

"Um...that was it, Roxanne-san? I expected more from the 'queen'..."

"Nah, she's just getting warmed up, Kaori," Mac explains.

"Yeah, I'm just...warming up." Am I? I didn't realize we were going for uber tricks. So much for casual free-riding. "Here: there's this jump up ahead."

A small distance away from us is another snow ramp, with a tall rocky cliff face on the right. The view on the left is nothing new; since we're still riding around the track section of Peak Three, all there is to the left of us is a ravine to the mountain bottom. I'm not sure where the railroad track is though; if anything, it's probably in a tunnel right beneath where we're riding right now, and the exit that I appeared above during today's race will most likely be a ways up the track.

"Alright you two, watch this!" I crouch and slide to the right towards the rocky wall as I prepare for the jump. After vaulting off of the snow ramp, I unlock my feet from my snowboard, grasp the board in my left hand, and push my hand away from my head, preforming a Can Can.

"Whoa, look out for the wall, Rox!" Mac exclaims from below me, but I'm one step ahead of him. Before my body slams into the rocky cliff face, I somersault in midair, positioning my feet towards the wall. Right as my feet hit the wall, I attempt to run on the side of the wall, exerting as little pressure as I can on the wall as my momentum keeps me moving forward. After about a second of my wall run I push myself off of the wall, my board still in my left hand, and place my boots back into the board bindings before hitting the snow-covered ground.

Kaori gleefully squeals into her M-comm. "Oooh, that was fantastic! I'm quite sure I've never seen that before." She rides over to Mac as we continue to race ahead. "Did you see that, Mac-kun?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, a little..." instead of watching the rest of my wall run, Mac gazes toward the rest of the Peak Three mountainside to the right of us. With my curiosity peaked, I move over to the left side of the track, making sure I don't fall off of the side as I progress forward and look towards the rest of the mountain above.

It's a very spectacular sight. All across the the Peak Three mountain, from where we ride near the base to the Peak Three Tower on top, hundreds of lights flicker on and off as SSX crewmen prepare the entire mountain for tomorrow's race. The Peak Three Extraordinaire begins right below the Peak Three tower, all of the contestants starting at different intervals across the top. An intricate maze of turns, jumps, and other obstacles block the rider's way down to the bottom of Peak Three. It doesn't stop there; a quick run through Hidden Summit and down the rest of the mountain range leads into Jupiter City, a city about a mile away from Hidden Summit, where the finish line is located.

Kaori begins to slow down as she admires the mountainside above. "Wow...I cannot wait for Peak Three race! I heard there's going to be SO many fireworks tomorrow-"

Fireworks. Kaori continues talking about the race as that one word sparks uncertainty in my mind. Today's confusing encounter with Zoe and the fireworks box felt like...more than an accident. But why? It's just a stupid box with firework explosives in it! Plus, I don't exactly characterize Zoe as a person brimming with sanity.

I focus my eyes onto the zigzagging track above. All across the mountainside, I am able to see several areas where the work lights shine the brightest: around snow ramp sections. There must be over fifty jump sections all across tomorrow's Peak Three racetrack, an incredible opportunity for a pyrotechnics display during the race. Most likely, these crewmen are installing the fireworks for tomorrow, and even more likely than that, their using the same firework boxes as the one I saw.

I encounter a question amid my thoughts. "By the way...is Zoe going to be down in Julius? I...wanted to ask her about a trick."

"Well, of course she will be! Everyone's already down there except for us," Mac explains, "as a matter of fact...we better start hurrying if we want to get to the restaurant before they do!"

Mac activates his Super Boosters, with Kaori and I doing the same right after. Within seconds after speeding on the track, we see a giant rock formation ahead. This snow-covered edifice juts out from the mountain cliff face from our right about fifteen feet in the air. It arches down over the left side of our track, creating a short tunneled section of track. Looking into this gaping tunnel, I see that the racecourse designers viewed this section as yet another obstacle to slap in a track inversion. Starting before the short tunnel is a rail that hugs the rock, looping over the ceiling of the rock formation and back down to the track on the other side of the tunnel to form a corkscrew inversion.

"I call the bumpy rail!" Kaori points to the rail inside the tunnel that doesn't invert. Instead, the rail is a straight section with camel-back bumps in the middle, the rail going up and down a couple times before disappearing into the snow at the end of the tunnel.

Mac looks over at me. "I took the rail corkscrew last time, Rox. You want to grind it?"

I wouldn't expect anything else. "Um...why the heck not? I'll race you two through the tunnel!"

Kaori and Mac accept my challenge and boost ahead onto the bumpy rail, Kaori entering the rail first. I ride onto the loop rail on the left, my back facing forward as I opt for a backside grind. I carefully balance myself on the rail as I turn upside down near the ceiling of the tunnel, using the Boosters to help me forward. I look down at Mac and Kaori; unfortunately for Mac, Kaori has decided to leisurely grind on the rail, enjoying the successive bumps on the pipe. I easily finish my inversion ahead of the couple, the three of us exiting the large hole in the mountain.

I pivot around and gloat, "haha, beat you guys!" I have to admit, despite all of the crazy loops and twists I've had to put up with, the rail corkscrew was rather enjoyable.

"I'm sorry, Mac-kun, I just really liked that part," Kaori says while looking at Mac beside her.

I can see that Mac is just about to reprimand her when he changes his tone. "Man...I still don't know how we qualified today, Kaori. There's no need to be so slow!" I hear Mac and Kaori's laughter from my M-comm.

I peer at my left arm, expecting to see something else than my red sweatshirt's sleeve. I forgot that the tournament doesn't provide the arm brace that has the track percentage completion stats. I turn my head back over to Mac and Kaori.

"Say, how much longer to Julius, guys?"

"Oh, we're actually pretty close now," Kaori states. "The half-pipe is straight ahead!"

Half-pipe? Right in front of us now, the snow dips down to reveal a long half-pipe, stretching out for about 100 feet. I can assume that during the race, tricks weren't a priority to any of us, unless you needed boost so desperately. Mac and Kaori, however, most certainly have other plans.

Mac races ahead of me and Kaori. "Alright, girls, let's see who can pull off the sickest trick! You both with?"

We both shout out yes, my interjection being less enthusiastic. Mac, the first one into the pipe, falls to left and up the vertical side of the pipe, rising a good thirty feet off of the ground. While he executes a Mattrickulator, quickly twisting around and spinning the board between his feet, Kaori, who sped in behind Mac, launches herself off of the right wall and does a Superman, spinning around like a bullet while holding her board out in front of her as she soars upward.

Instead of aiming for airtime, my attention is drawn to one of the rails that rest on the sides of the half-pipe. I never really got to show off that Uber Grind during the race...now's my chance to redeem myself.

I ride into the middle of the pipe and turn to right, not as sharply as Kaori and Mac had to jump up, but just enough to land me onto the rail above. Leaping out of the pipe and onto the rail, I decide that I'll try an Uber Grind with a spin, a trick nicknamed the Dizzy Handstand. It's practically the same as a regular handstand trick, but, just as I begin to release the locks on my feet as I grind, I front-spin myself on the rail before flipping myself onto my board, my hands resting on the unlatched bindings.

The Dizzy Handstand quickly lives up to its name, for not even a second after beginning my upside-down spin as I grind the rail, I feel absolutely motion sick. Despite the ill effect, I am able to adequately land my feet back into the bindings and slide off of the rail and back into the half-pipe. I press down on the buttons of my Super Boosters to push me back up the other side of the pipe and into the air. I don't preform anything special; I grab the snowboard with my right hand as if doing a one-handed Flying Squirrel, detatch the board from my feet, and pull the board over my head before locking my feet back into the bindings and landing inside the half-pipe.

I plan on speeding up and over the other side of the pipe, but I see Kaori fly into the air in front of me, so I choose to cruise by and watch. Kaori pulls off an incredible spin before preforming a Torpedo at the apex of her jump, removing her board from her boots and laying the board sideways on her chest as she spins around. Mac, who flies up the opposite side of the half-pipe, takes his board into his hands and preforms an Uber trick that I'm not familiar with, spinning and kicking the board around his right foot before moving the board around and back onto his feet in midair. He lands back on the snow beyond the half-pipe as Kaori and I exit the pipe.

Mac slows down to meet back with us as we continue to race alongside the mountain. "Well...I think I pretty much just dominated back there...any comments?"

"Hey, no fair!" Kaori playfully rams her fist into Mac's shoulder. I still want to know the name of Mac's last trick.

"Mac, what was that trick you just pulled of? I don't think I've seen it before."

Mac scratches the back of his green Hoodie. "What, the Scooter? Yeah, it's one of my staples..."

"Oh Mac-kun," Kaori says, almost jeeringly, "Don't you mean, 'Sugar Rush'?"

Despite what I believe to be a harmless comment, Mac becomes genuinely outraged. "Aww, C'mon, Kaori! Everyone knows Griff stole my Scooter trick for his own Signature Uber during _Triple Peak_!...besides," Mac calms his voice down, "I'm pretty sure he changed his signature to Vacation."

The current talk of Signature Ubers intrigues me. I've only ever seen one other person's special trick, that being Zoe's Pommel Me, and now that I know other riders have special tricks...

"Mac, Kaori, do you guys have Signature Uber tricks?"

"Aww, sure we do Rox! In fact...why don't we show her our moves, Kaori? I think there's a large snow ramp coming up ahead."

Kaori gives Mac an apprehensive look. "I don't know Mac-kun...I haven't done a Pirouette in so long..."

"It'll be fine! You've got the right Freestyle board, dont'cha?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Aww, lemme see it, Kaori," I plead into my M-comm. "Please? Just once, like the...for the old time's sake?"

I have no idea what my comment will entice, but it seems to have a positive effect. In fact, the very thought of reliving the past makes Kaori show off a bright smile. "Okay, Roxanne-san, I'll do it!" She turns her head towards Mac and gives him a thumbs-up.

I shift my gaze back onto the speeding landscape, only to find that the barren track ahead is strikingly familiar. I slide over to the far left of the track and look over the ravine; sure enough, the entrance to the train tunnel, from which I had barely escaped earlier today, is immediately visible about twenty feet below. I remember this part of the track, so we're even closer to Julius than I thought. We continue to ride ahead on the racecourse, now approaching the snow ramp, the very same that Mac must be referring to, that I as well can so distinctly recall.

However, as we begin to approach the jump, the very same that Zoe and I crashed into...

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Kaori asks, pointing towards a the commotion surrounding the snow jump. From far away, I can see a number of crewmen standing around the ramp, with work lights shining down the sides of the snow jump.

In spite of his fearlessness from before, a certain panic arouses in Mac's voice. "Uh...quick! Down here!" Mac erratically jerks to the left, heading for a sharp drop to the far left of the jump that leads back up to the main track after about fifty feet.

I shout out, "I thought you said it was perfectly safe to ride out here, Mac!"

"Hey, I didn't know anyone would actually be out here!" Mac looks up at the ledge that divides us from the snow ramp, probably hoping he avoided any confrontation with the crewmen.

"It's strange," Kaori adds, "why are they still working on the Cross Peak track?"

"I don't know," I answer. If I'm to take an educated guess, it might have something to do with the fireworks. As we begin to reenter the main track, I shout out, "There's one last Peak Three jump coming up, guys! It's the prefect opportunity to show off those cool tricks."

Mac and Kaori shake off the previous event and answer back enthusiastically. "Hold onto your snowboard, Rox, 'cause we're gonna knock it off your feet!"

Right before the last Peak Three jump, the racecourse enters the tunneled track section that dips down like a roller coaster drop. After the long descent, the three of us gaining spectacular speed, we approach a snow ramp that leads out of the mountain tunnel before we fly off of the jump into the air between peaks Three and Four.

Mac pulls off an awe-inspiring trick. As he nears the apex of his jump, he releases his feet from his board and flips his body upside down, his hands now resting on the board. He lifts his right hand up, spins the board around his left hand, and flips himself back upright. He prolongs the Uber by dangerously twisting and spinning the board with his feet before locking his boots back into the bindings.

Kaori preforms an equally incredible move. After doing a potent Frontside Spin following her jump off of the ramp, she takes her right foot off of the board and, what strikes me as peculiar, angles her left binding, her left foot still attached, and drags the binding towards the closest end of her board (it must a rider-specific snowboard). While she continues to spin around in midair, Kaori flings her board in the opposite direction and throws her left hand above her head, keeping her right hand close to her neck. She looks like a ballerina, her trick giving the impression that the end of her board spins around her foot as her body spins the opposite way. Before we hit the snow on Peak Four, Kaori grabs the end of her board, releases her left foot from the binding, and swiftly moves the board over her head and back onto her feet.

It's a good thing I held onto my board; my Cross Rocket Air grab is pathetic compared to Kaori and Mac's stunning tricks. After we land on a snow-covered section on Peak Four, I cheer into my M-comm.

"Wow! Epic tricks right there, guys. Any chance I can get the names?"

Mac and Kaori, who have already started to descend into the Peak Four forest area, slow down to my riding speed. Mac shouts out, "That trick I just nailed? I call it Walking the Dog! And Kaori," he turns his head over to Kaori, "that was a sick Pirouette Grind, you gotta do it more often!"

"Aww, thanks, Mac-kun," apparently, Kaori forgets to thank my own encouragement. "You know what...I think I will!"

"Okay, okay, that's enough you two." I squeeze in between Mac and Kaori as we advance on the racing section of the forest. "We got this one small place to ride, and we'll be in Julian. Now..." I don't even give myself time to think. The disastrous idea pops into my mind so fast that I have no choice but to say it out loud.

"...let's see who can make the sickest trick run before the end!"

I'm sure that both Mac and Kaori are surprised at my proclamation, that I would ever be the one to declare a trick showoff, but I can't tell. I've boosted ahead, my new destination being an inclined string of tree logs to the right, and I'm too far away from the other snowboarders to see their faces. I zip onto the first tree log, using the Boosters to accelerate myself up the steep tree log. At the end of the log, I jump up into the air and perform a Judo, thrusting my board off of my feet, up and over my head, and back under my feet before landing.

I look back as I traverse onto a man-made pipe in the snow; Kaori lands a trick off of a snow ramp as Mac, further to the left, enters a jump coming my direction. As he crosses through the air above my head, he grabs his board to perform a simple Mute while mastering a stunning array of spins and flips. He executes his landing with such precision and magnificence that watching the trick almost makes me lose balance on the pipe and fall flat on my face into the snow.

"How 'bout that, ladies?" Mac calls out to us, "I think I'll name that trick the 'Mac'-spin!"

Unlike Kaori, who nods with approval for Mac, I take the Mac-spin trick as, atonishingly, a competitve threat. Now, my only concern for the rest of the night is besting Mac's boarding skills and leaving him in the dust.

I look deep into the forest track ahead; about 300 feet away I spot a looming snowbank through the middle of two trees. The tree on the far left, despite being just as tall as most of the other trees, is nearly devoid of any branches or leaves. The snowbank's left side, which rests beside this barren tree, angles all the up vertically to the tree's massive trunk. The sight translates into only three words: my perfect opportunity.

I start out slow at first, hopping onto a rail that bends over a log blocking the path. To my right pops out Kaori, who rides into the same snow ramp ahead that I do. Jumping up into the air, Kaori does a quick Body Board, hugging her snowboard while spinning in a tight circle. I perform a double somersault with a late Method before hitting the powdery snow.

As soon as I fully recover from the landing, I focus my eyes on the snowbank and the tree trunk ahead. At first, I attempt to conserve whatever boost I might have left, and accelerate on my own accord. As I get to be 100 feet away from my target, I crush the Super Booster buttons with my thumbs, possibly believing that I will gain even more speed with the additional pressure. Kaori and Mac continue grinding surrounding pipes and leaping off of ramps, but I don't alter my direction whatsoever, keeping an undying focus on the tree ahead. As I come close to the snowbank, I speak into my M-comm and address my suggested competition.

"Mac, Kaori..." My velocity approaches some improbable measure as I begin to race onto the snowbank. "...get a load of THIS!"

Still using the Boosters, I zoom up the steep snowbank and onto the vertical tree trunk, grinding up the side of the log. In lieu of the intense gravitational forces, which I'm pretty sure causes me to temporarily black out, I hold the Booster buttons as I fly up the tall lifeless tree trunk. Although I'm going straight up, I only seem to go faster as I continue use the Super Boosters, my snowboard scraping bark off of the already raw tree. After several seconds of forcefully scaling up the tree, I grind right off of the top part of the tree's crown and soar into the air above.

I lose all sense of control over motion. I'm spinning and flipping so fast and in so many ways that the sky, the snow, the trees, and the lights from near and distant towns become a blur. I continue the flips and spins with an impossible string of one-foot ubers: Clean Sweep, Can Opener, Big Unit, Mahogany, Tricky Flicky, Kickin' A, Jay Tear, and more, twisting my feet and arms around the air faster than I can comprehend. As I begin to slow down, I realize that the uprising wind is having a huge impact on my flight time; I must be a good 50 feet above the already towering treeline.

By the time I stop ascending, I decide to attempt my favorite uber trick: the Svelton. I wouldn't say it's a signature trick, I've seen plenty of people try the trick out on a Slopestyle event, but I've seen it performed with success so few times that I'm certain that pulling one off will blow away whatever Mac and Kaori can possibly achieve. I completely remove the snowboard from my feet, set the board sideways between my ankles, pull my arms close to my head, spin myself upside down, and relax...

The Svelton trick produces an immediate effect. As I start to plummet back towards the snow-covered forest floor (while having absolutely no idea where I will be landing, naturally), I begin to spin around in a rapid manner, the air beneath the ends of my board pushing against the board and spinning my body around with it, kind of like one of those helicopter leaves that spins as it falls. My speeds of both spinning and falling increase while the distance between me and the ground below shortens at an alarming rate. Even through the dizziness of the Svelton trick, I can plainly see where I will land, right on the beginning of a rail section that angles downwards. It truly cannot get any better.

The bewildering sky switches to a shade of green as I break through the treeline, my head making a direct beeline for the pipe below. Mere feet before landing, I flip myself back upright and, instead of locking my feet back onto the board, I shift the board with my feet so that I strike the rail while performing a Backside Rail Edge Grind, perhaps the most dangerous Uber Grind there is. Despite the minimal pipe coverage that I have with a sideways facing board, I find it surprisingly easy to balance as I ride the rail backwards. In a matter of seconds I grind the the pipe for about twenty more feet, flip my board back upright and set my boots back into the bindings a few feet before the end of the rail, slide back onto the snow and slow down to a complete stop.

Only about five yards away from the rail I exited is yet another enticing snow ramp into the air, but something inside me screamed _ENOUGH_ before I could take advantage of the jump. I look at the rail I just rode off of, facing where I could have easily have botched the stunning array of tricks. I fall down to my knees, letting my hands stop my face from hitting the snow. Even after successfully completing the combo, I can't understand why I would try something so...blatantly dangerous. The deadly back-country moments are what I'm trying to avoid, and now I put myself at such intense risk during a FREE-RIDE?

..._What the hell was I thinking?_

I want to start crying, but before I let my emotions get the best of me, a voice chirps out of my M-comm.

"So...COOL!"

I turn to my left. Sure enough, both Kaori, who had just interjected the phrase, and Mac stand on their boards a couple yards away from where I am, probably even before I was back on the ground. Have they been watching me this whole time?

"Man oh man..." Mac says, shaking his head in embarrassment behind a wide smile on his face, "...looks like there's already a winner."

* * *

><p>It takes us a few minutes more to reach Julius, Mac and Kaori riding slower to keep pace with me. Similar to Hidden Summit, Julius has a blanket of lights that cover the small town. There are no cars on the icy roads, as several people walk about on the streets. We decide to take a short breather next to a wooden building before riding into the ski town.<p>

Kaori cannot seem to remove the smile from her face. "Wow, that was a lot of fun! But," she turns to Mac, who is looking at his cell phone, "are we still going to make it to the restaurant in time?"

Mac looks up from his phone. "Good news: Griff just messaged me that they're about to get seated inside. We've made just in time!"

I put on a small grin at Mac's statement. We've FINALLY made it. "That's great! Thanks for letting tag along guys, a car ride would have been a lot less...invigorating."

"You know, Roxanne-san," Kaori turns towards me, "I really do want you to know that that was something really amazing you did in the forest section."

"Yeah, no kidding!" Mac states, rubbing his forehead. "I mean, a rail grind up a tree trunk, into the sky, with one-foots, a Svelton, and a Rail Edge to boot? What would they call that in a Slopestyle..."

I don't know what to say towards complements for - what I believe is, at least - such a shameful and selfish sequence of actions. "Guys, really, I don't know what came over me! Let's just-"

Kaori is so enthusiastic she almost bounces up and down. "I know exactly what it is!" She leans in closer to me. "You know what Flow is, right?"

"Um, Flow?" I have never heard of the word. Well, the word itself, yes, but not as a sports term.

"Aw man," Mac says, closing his eyes, "once you experience it, you know exactly what it is. Flow is that incredible adrenaline rush that you get from nailing a constant string of reality-defying stunts, that insane momentum that you achieve flying down the side of the mountain, that long line of daring risks that you take without a moment of doubt, that chain of spectacular events that never seems to end..." he reopens his eyes and looks at me. "Flow is what being a snowboarder is all about."

"Exactly that, Mac-kun." Kaori stands back up. "I didn't mean to, um, put you on the spot, Roxanne-san, but you have proved countless times out on the slopes that you have Flow, and you're going to be a very famous snowboarder."

But, but...I don't WANT to be a famous snowboarder! I wish I could tell them everything, how being an SSX rider isn't a passion, but, almost an obligation. And why is it that Flow is brought up now? After all of my experiences in the off-League, 'doing reality-defying stunts, gaining momentum, making daring risks, surviving 'spectacular' events'...I've had Flow ever since the beginning! All Flow has ever been to me is something that stares me in the face, proving how stuck I am to this sport.

In fact, why am I so scared about this NOW? Where was this terror two and a half years ago, when I jumped off of the side of K2? Or racing on the narrow cliff tracks in Denali last month? I've survived just about every winter terror humanly possible...whiteout, avalanches, cave-ins, low oxygen...and now, I find that this is the perfect moment for getting worked up about danger. If I've survived it all in the past, why did I break down in the forest?

_Because it wasn't for the money_.

Every time I put my life on the line, whether I had the choice or not, it was because there was a prize at the end of the track. No matter what the cost, I pulled through for what I needed, what I viewed as what was most vital and important.

But today...did I actually, enjoy it? Always remembering my ulterior motive, I would cast all enjoyment aside, if such happiness could be found in leaping over a bottomless ravine in some remote part of the world. Without the constraints of competition, however, I've raced across the Peak mountains with a feeling unlike anything I've ever had, and for the first time of strapping a snowboard to my feet, today's free-ride is something that I find impossible to regret.

"Yo, Rox, you comin' with us or, what?"

"Oh, sorry, right behind you guys!" I thrust myself forward off of the building wall and into motion gliding across the pristine white snow as we make our way into Julius.

END CHAPTER


	17. Ch XVII: The Least Suspicious

**Chapter XVII: The Least Suspicious**

* * *

><p>IT TAKES US A FULL TEN MINUTES TO REACH THE OGGI'S RESTAURANT.<p>

And yeah, the restaurant is like, only 150 feet into the small Ski Town, but the town's residents and visitors are RAVENOUS. Within seconds of sliding into the town, Mac, Kaori and I were immersed in a swarm of screaming people. It was too obvious; these people were hard-core SSX fans.

I was completely taken by surprise by some of these fans. Yes, most of them were there to greet the SSX vets, Kaori and Mac, some of them even asking if the rumor of the couple getting back together since the _Cali Tour _were true (and by the distraught expression on some of the girls, I could guess on what they were telling people). Amid this, there were several fans who ran up to congratulate me on my past two days of racing. I didn't need Zoe to help spread my success this time; everyone loved my snowboarding skills, and a lot of them are really counting on me to win the final race.

"Jeez," I let out, once we had escaped the crowd, "is it like that every time you get out?"

"Man, you wouldn't believe it! It seems like every time I walk outdoors there's a crowd," Mac says, placing his hand into Kaori's. "At least...it was different this time."

"Aww, Mac-kun!" Kaori laughs. She asks me, still looking into Mac's eyes, "haven't you ever been trampled by adoring fans before, Roxanne-san? I find it hard for that not to be possible."

Well, partially. There have always been people cheering for me, but never by name. It's always been "go #8!" or "#23!" and even "#47!" as I competed in the dangerous off-League race or trick events. Very few snowboarders establish a name for themselves away from the official League, some exceptions being Hiro Karamatsu and Felix Levesque, and only if they really try to. It's why I've thrived in the off-League: I could hold a career for myself, and no one had a clue at who I was.

But with all of this front-and-center attention at this tournament...it's only a matter of time before someone out there connects the dots.

Kaori, aware of my unresponsiveness, points up at a restaurant sign, reading 'Oggi's Restaurant,' as Mac looks into the screen of his cell phone. "Is this it, guys?"

"That's what the text reads, Kaori." He slides his phone back into his back pocket. "Of course, it is Viggo giving us directions..."

"Oh, come on, you two," I shout back, walking up to the Oggi's front door, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm freezing, starving, and...freezing!" I really should have planned for colder weather. In the past 30 minutes, the temperature has dropped a good 20 degrees in Fahrenheit (and after all these years out in the cold, I still don't know what the heck a Celsius is). I swing the solid wood door open.

Despite the lack of people waiting outside, the entire restaurant is jam-packed, with people sitting and standing in the entrance section in every place imaginable. A waitress makes her way through the masses to walk over to the door, and speaks to us over the constant talking and shouting in the background.

"Hi, welcome to Oggi's," she says, with an apologetic glance plastered all over her face. "We're terribly sorry, the restaurant is overcrowded as it is. If you really want to wait, you three can, but I doubt...OH!" The waitress nearly jumps back in recognition. "Wow...that's my bad, it looks like there's already reservations in your name." She peers down at her clipboard. "Mac, Kaori, Roxanne...this way please!"

The waitress leads us through the crowded section and into the middle of the restaurant. At the heart of this restaurant is an open room, the walls lined with empty windows where it's possible to see other diners at their tables. On one wall sat a large flat-screen TV, as well as more smaller TV's covering the corners of the ceiling throughout the entire restaurant. In the middle of this room is an enormous wooden round table, surrounded with ten chairs. Seven of these chairs are already occupied: Griff and Viggo sit on the right side of this table. Next to Viggo sat Moby, then Zoe, followed by two empty chair spaces. After this is Psymon, another empty chair on his right (no one dared to sit next to him...), Allegra, and then Elise, who is also sitting next to Griff.

Another thing that I immediately notice is that everyone at the table, along with Kaori and Mac, are still wearing their full snowboarding suits from the race, Griff wearing the red and white suit with sponsor symbols stitched throughout the clothes, Viggo wearing a green and purple jacket with blue jeans, Moby in his large yellow jacket and pants, Zoe in her tight pink and black suit, Psymon with a green jacket and red sweatband, Allegra with an orange shirt and red bandanna around her hair, and Elise wearing her tight blue suit. In fact, I'm also the only snowboarder not wearing a Life Support suit under my red hoodie. I really am the only one that changed out of the snowboard gear.

Everyone at the table turns around over to us as we walk into the room. However, as everyone else at the table greets us - excluding Zoe, whose impartial countenance remains unaltered at our arrival - Allegra, the closest sitting person to us, frowns at my presence, her previous joyful expression disappearing within her pale face as she stares at me. She turns back toward the rest of the group at the table.

"Uh, guys...you know, I totally forgot a...I need to...back." She stands up from her and walks away from the perplexed snowboarders, exiting out the back of this middle room.

I had completely forgot about Allegra. I...really need to fix this.

"Allegra, wait!" I call out as Kaori takes a seat next to Zoe, with Mac on her right side. I run out the back of the room, entering a deserted hall located next to the restrooms. Instead of walking away faster, Allegra stops moving and turns around to face me. She lets out a deep sigh.

"Okay...what is it Roxanne?" Her depressed mood puts me off balance, she doesn't seem like a girl who could be 'practically sweating enthusiasm' at all.

I look down at the ground, and attempt to sum up an apology. "Um, I...I wanted to apologize for what went on up at Peak One...you know, the whole 'I'm onto you' thing? I'm really sorry about that. Maybe we can, you know, start this over, or, something?"

Allegra's mood lightens as she begins to grin. "Whoa, you mean it?" She exhales a sigh of relief this time. "That would be great!"

"Awesome. You know," I laugh a little under my breath, "the reason I was all rude like that was because...I thought that you wanted to befriend me so, you could take me out of the race! WOW, Isn't that stupid?"

"Uh, YEAH..." Allegra tugs at the back of a bandanna in her hair. "...well...that, MIGHT, have been a plan..."

My jaw hits the floor at Allegra's notion. Did she seriously just admit that she was going to knock me out after all?

A tint of guilt appears in Allegra's face. "Roxanne, before you get all mad, there's stuff you don't know about me that..."

"Okay, like what?" I'm able to calm myself down before breaking loose as I fold my arms across my chest.

"Well..." She rests her back on one of the walls in the hallway. "You see Roxanne, I used to be the toughest girl in the SSX League, back when I joined right before the third SSX tour. I could take anyone down, even Elise during _Triple Peak_! In fact, even being a new SSX tour boarder back then, I was one of the best and most popular snowboarders in SSX."

"Really?" I place my hand across my chin. "But, why with all of the 'goody-goody' before the tournament? You're the last person I'd expect to be tough."

Allegra looks out one of the side windows in the hallway. "Yeah, I've definitely lost a lot of cool points in the past few years, especially after losing big-time near the end of the _Cali Tour_. In fact, I think that I've fallen so out of favor with the league, that I wouldn't even be considered for the next SSX tour! So...I decided to compete in this tournament, adopt a cheesy personality, and team up with the first person I met and didn't know." She looks directly at me. I'd feel pretty ignorant if I didn't know who she meant. "But, you were all serious about me staying out of your way, so I just...avoided you whenever possible."

"Allegra...I had no idea..." I wouldn't say I've been selfish, but I've been so strung up in my own conflicts, I'm oblivious to other peoples' around me. Then again, why do I care? First Kaori, then Mac, why do I feel sorry for Allegra's problems? Perhaps I've forgotten so much about what it's like to be involved in other people's lives, that I'm diving into everyones' problems here with no concern for my own security.

After staring at my snowboard boots, I look back up at Allegra with a smile. "Well...water under the bridge, right? I say we give it our all tomorrow and knock everyone else off of their feet!"

"It's a deal!" Allegra exclaims confidently, with a fresher and stronger attitude that I'd yet to see from her. We grasp each other's hand for a middle five, the both of us looking at the other's eyes. "May the best rider win!"

"You got it!" After releasing my hand, Allegra begins to walk back to the round table as I follow behind. As for her last edict...I mean, I'll still give it my all in tomorrow's Peak Three Extraordinaire, but with everything else, the Rhodium cave close at hand, going on around me, an all-out 1st Place win is the least of my worries tomorrow.

As I walk back into the open room with everyone else, I realize that Mac and Kaori took the two empty seats next to Zoe, leaving the seat next to where Psymon sits the only available spot where no one had been sitting. Fortunately, Allegra takes the seat next to Psymon, allowing me to sit next to her and Elise.

"Oy Allegra," Moby, with one arm around the neck of an indifferent Zoe, shouts out from the other end of the table, "you okay now, mate?"

"I sure am," Allegra nods," In fact, I'm feeling a lot better than I have in a while." She looks next to me with a grin.

"Just in time, too," Mac adds, his head turning over to a waitress entering the room, "We'll be able to order drinks now!"

The waitress, a different woman than before, walks in from the back of the room and stands behind Zoe with a small notepad in one hand. "Hi everyone, welcome to Oggi's!" She takes a pen from a pocket on her shirt. "What can I get you all to drink?"

"Well, what else is there?" Moby exclaims, looking up and over his head at the waitress, "a round of the best beers in the house for everyone!"

I sink into my chair and under the table when Moby declares this proclamation. Are we really having MORE alcohol?

"Oh..." the waitress utters, glancing into a dining hallway at the right. "We're really sorry, Mr. Jones, but...it seems like we've run out of beer, our nightly stock delivery never arrived!"

"WHAT?" Moby, aghast at the fact, nearly falls back in his chair.

The waitress, slightly afraid of Moby, quietly asks, "Um, is there anything else, you guys might want? Maybe...Root Beer?"

Instead of being enraged at the waitress, Moby sits back into his seat. "Oh...yeah, sure, just...just bring, the round of...round of Root Beers then." Moby covers his head as he says this, lowering his head closer to the table. He must really be sorrowful without alcohol being available.

"Alright then, that will be...ten root beers?" The waitress, writing the order down, looks around the table for anyone else to say otherwise. The rest of us stay silent. "Okay, I will be back with the drinks as soon as possible!" She slides the notepad back into her shirt pocket and walks out of the room.

I exhale a sigh of relief. It's been too long to remember what it takes like, but I'm sure I'll fare better with the 'Root' variety than with the alcoholic one.

"SO...if that's over with..." Viggo says, looking down to his right at Moby. He snatches the restaurant menu in front of him. "...we ready to order?"

"Oh, boyo boy!" Psymon blurts out as he picks up his menu, effectively breaking any previous silence at the table. Everyone else, including Moby, begins to read their menus. I pick up mine, but I don't read through it; what money would I pay for food anyways? The $1,000 I won today is already a thousand miles away. The rest of my saved cash from Belukha and previous events is hidden within my hotel suite.

Griff, who sits to the left of Viggo, is the first to remark on the food. "I think...I think I'll have a calzone! I haven't had one of these in years."

"Yeah, same with me," Elise says, "anyone else?"

"Calzone...Mac-kun, what's a calzone?" Kaori shows the menu entry to Mac on her right.

Mac reads the menu and says, "Well, it's sorta like a folded-in pizza...HEY!" Mac's eyebrows rise, possibly in remembrance. "Kaori, you like pizza, don't you?"

"Um...uh...I-"

"LIKE pizza?" I slam my menu back on the table and look right at Kaori. "Kaori LOVES pizza! I remember this morning, when we were walking together in the snow, she couldn't stop talking about how you two would eat pizza together, and how she LOVED it!" While Mac showcases an ecstatic smile at what I say, Kaori throws me an evil glare. I don't feel bad at all; after not helping me out with my backpack in the Hidden Summit plaza today, a little mockery seems fair enough.

Kaori turns over to Mac. "Let's...share one, okay?"

"That sounds perfect," Mac agrees, taking his and Kaori's menus and setting them in the middle of the table.

Moby turns to face Zoe, "Mind if I order my own? Feel like I gotta big appetite tonight!"

"Marvelous," Zoe voices sarcastically, still looking down at the table while playing unenthusiastically with one of the table spoons.

Following Griff, Elise, Mac, and Moby, Allegra places her menu down in the middle of the table. "I really like the calzones here, so...I'll get one too!"

I close my menu and do the same, but I have no order in mind. I'll just make up some lame excuse about how 'I'm not hungry' or 'I'm allergic to gluten' or something like that. I'll just eat when I get back at the resort.

Psymon throws his menu in to the pile while Viggo closes his. "I think I'll do the same! Isn't peer pressure the best!" He laughs out loud as Viggo places his menu down.

"Calzone sounds pretty delish at the moment, I think I'm good then."

"Wait a sec; are we ALL getting calzones?" Elise says, looking around the table. I'm the only one that hasn't ordered one, but I also don't plan to eat anything.

Mac answers Elise's question as he says, "Yeah, I think we're all ready to order!"

"That'll settle it, then," Moby declares, "there is, however, one last bit of business that needs taking care of..."

Right at this moment, all nine others sitting at this table look DIRECTLY at me. At first, I think they're all wondering whether I'm ordering something or not, but then it dawns on me.

Are these people expecting me to PAY for this meal?

My first impulse is to run away from this restaurant, but I decide to talk myself out of the situation. "Listen guys, I don't really-"

"HAHAHA," Viggo breaks into laughter. "C'mon, Roxanne, don't expect us to allow someone to spend their first Advanced League tournament cash prize on the first day! Nine calzones, ten drinks, a little something for dessert later? I can cover that!"

"Now THAT I shouldn't allow, Viggo," Elise states as Viggo pulls out the $500 prize money he had earned today. "You and Psymon are the last people that would need to pay for this meal."

"Wow, Elise, is that..._appreciation_, I hear in your voice?"

"Yeah, what's the catch?" Psymon questions.

Elise sits back in her chair. "All I can say is you two made the race today a hell of a lot easier today when you guys knocked Willy out during the Peak Three section. He was SO ANNOYING during the Peak One race, he wouldn't stop harassing me the entire way down! He's the worst boarder I've gone against since..._Marisol_." Elise actually shudders at the very mention of her name.

Meanwhile, the waitress from before handed out our Root Beer bottles. Moby also orders the nine calzones. "And by the way, missus...could I get a remote for the TV right there?" He points to the massive flat-screen on the wall behind Mac. "I wanna catch _Logan Coverage _tonight."

As the waitress nods and leaves, Allegra turns to Elise. "Willy was your rival? How pathetic!"

"What?" Elise replies, somewhat thrown off by Allegra's new-found attitude. She shakes it off and shouts back, "Huh, can you do any better? Who was your worst rival?"

"Anyone remember Skye Simms from _Cali_?" She extends the question to everyone else at the table. "I hated her so much! She's the reason why I lost half of the race events."

"Aww, that's nothing," Mac says, entering the conversation, "JP was pretty tough to beat during _Tricky_ and the _Blur Special_, and I'm pretty sure Jurgen Angermann targeted me during the first tour, and when I was only 15-years-old, too!"

When it comes to rivals, I know more than anyone that I can top everyone else. "You've all had it easy," I tell Mac, Elise, and Allegra, "Sometimes, when I competed in really tough off-League events, there would be this one person named Li-"

"SHUT YER TRAPS, IT'S ON!" Moby screams out, waving his hands out at the rest of the table. "The _Logan Coverage_ show is on!"

I quit my sentence halfway in as everyone turns over to the TV behind Mac. Oh well...it can wait for another time.

On the screen appears the title 'Logan Coverage' above two guys sitting in chairs near a short table. On the table sits a small fern in a brown clay holder, with two styrofoam cups resting on either side. One of the men, wearing a cast around his right foot, has rugged brown hair and a black and green suit. The other guy, noticeably younger than the man to his left, has dirty blonde hair and a white headband, wearing a green hoodie sweatshirt and jeans.

"Ouch, Nate's still got that cast on?" Griff asks, "I wonder if her can still snowboard."

I turn over to Griff. "You know that guy?"

"Ha, do we know him?" Allegra tells me, "Nate right there was in the past two tours with most of us, and Tyson, the guy on the left, is his brother. Tyson was in the last tour as well, but neither of them have been entering in any tournaments or events due to Nate taking a dive in the Andes last December."

"That's all fine and dandy, lassies, but let's watch, shall we?" Moby shushes us right before Nate begins to talk.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to _Logan Coverage_, where we follow everything you should know about the world of SSX. I'm Nate Logan."

"And I'm Tyson Logan. Today, we'll be talking about the biggest race event that's happened all year: The _SSX Tournament Spectacular_ Cross Peak Race Event."

"We'll show you some of the best action on tape tonight. Tyson, why don't you start us off with the first highlight?"

"Will do, bro." Half of the screen focuses on Tyson as in-screen box pops up on the right. "The first thing we gotta talk about is the best knock down, which focuses on riders Psymon Stark, Viggo Rolig, and an unfortunate Willy. Take a look at this!" As he speaks, the in-screen shows a clip of Willy, who had just jumped off of Peak Two onto the Peak Three track. "So here's Willy here, minding his own business as he races through the track." The left half of the screen changes over to Nate.

"It's not long, however, until Psymon and Viggo are right behind him, each taking hold of his shoulders!" Psymon and Viggo speed up to Willy. They grab onto him, making it so that Willy is unable to escape.

I cover my mouth with my hand. I remember what section of track comes right at the beginning of the Peak Three track from the ride down here with Mac and Kaori, and guessing what happens next is way too easy.

The left side of the screen keeps changing over to the speaker. "So tell me, Nate, how does this story end?"

"Oh, not to great for Willy! Just watch what happens next!" Willy, with Psymon and Viggo forcing him forward down the track, approach the first obstacle on the Peak Three track: the enormous wall of solid snow blocking the path, with the giant glass tube that twists up and around to the right placed right before the wall.

"Oh, I don't think I CAN watch, Nate!" Tyson places his arm away from his head to cover his face. Kaori, recognizing the track section, also covers her face and looks away from the screen as Viggo and Psymon lead Willy away from the entrance to the tube and towards the wall ahead. Psymon and Viggo each take one of Willy's pickaxes, let go of Willy, and bury the pickaxes into the snowy ground, bringing themselves to a complete stop before standing back up. Willy, unfortunately, has nothing to slow him down before he slams head-first into the wall of snow.

"OOOOH!" Tyson and Nate wince at the sight of the fall. Nate adds, "Talk about a meet-and-greet with PAIN!"

Elise looks over at Viggo, then at Psymon, smiling at both of them with a nod.

"So Nate, what's our next highlight tonight?"

"Well, Tyson, I think we've gotta talk about the best event trick, and the owner of this spectacular trick is none other than rider Moby Jones."

Moby, hearing his name on the TV, becomes overly enthusiastic as he tells us, "Oy, it's comin' up here, you guy gotta see this!"

"Now aren't tricks pretty rare in race events, Nate?"

"Normally they are, but thanks to the new Super Boosters available in this tournament, these mountains have been blowing up with tricks like never before. And after demonstrations of the Pommel Me trick by Zoe Payne and a Double Backflip Vacation by Griff Simmons in yesterday's event, we're proud to present you with today's most spectacular trick: Moby Jones' Superman Barspin!"

On the right side of the TV screen, the pop-up a video clip of Moby jumping into the air. He detaches from his board, spins the board vertically in front him, and twists around in a barrel roll. Once he catches the board as it spins, he extends his legs and feet away from each other to stop himself from spinning around. After another second in the air, he re-spins the board in a circle, twirls himself back around the opposite way, grabs back onto the board, and locks his feet back into the bindings before landing back on a high-positioned pipe.

In my opinion, it's a very impressive trick, and Moby on the other end of the table is cheering as if the outcome was a surprise to him. He violently shakes Zoe by the neck in his left arm as he asks, "Now wasn't that a good show, Zoe? Amazing, ain't it?"

"Hmm? Yeah, it...like, the...trick." Zoe continues her impassive slumber as she turns her gaze back down at the floor. From the corner of my eyes I see Psymon hold in a snicker as he looks away from Moby.

The video clip slides off the screen as Tyson leads into the next subject. "While that Barspin was the best event trick, I think it's time to review the best event wipe-out!"

"And today, folks, the biggest blunder of the race belongs to Guy and his attempt at world-famous snowboarder and skier JP's signature trick, the Headspin 2 Poseur!"

"Hang on, Nate, what the guy's name?"

"That's the thing; the guy's name IS Guy!"

"Isn't that something? Moving on...as you can see here," A new pop-up screen appears to the right, "Guy here had just entered the half-pipe within the Peak Three track section. And it is unbelievable how much air he catches right here!" Guy jerks to the right side of the pipe, soaring into the sky as he frontside spins faster than helicopter blades. A split second after leaving the ground, he does a short handstand on top of his board (he isn't completely upside down; his body and his board are still level with the 90 degree half pipe) and begins to perform an insane headspin maneuver. However, as the camera catching the awe-inspiring trick begins to zoom out, I immediately recognize a critical error in Guy's judgement.

"And he actually completes the extreme trick!" Nate yells, "but where does he end up going wrong, Tyson?"

"I'll tell ya; he OVERSHOOTS the half-pipe and BOTCHES the landing!"

Guy had jumped out of the half-pipe at such an angle that threw him farther forward than he had wanted. Just as he spins back up onto the board, it's already too late as his entire body disappears in a four foot high pile of snow several feet beyond the half-pipe.

"Man, what a shame! And it gets worse for Guy; that faulty trick would eventually cost him the race, causing him to finish in 14th place."

"SAY, speaking of race places Nate, why don't we talk about today's biggest race winner?"

Uh oh. I don't need to be a psychic to foresee where this talk show is heading.

"In that case, it's time to talk about the racer that everyone in SSX is talking about; rider Roxanne Schultz!"

I sink back into the depths of my seat. I never mind the praise alone, but being surrounded by ALL NINE of the snowboarders I'll be racing against tomorrow...it's just awkward.

"Aw man, without a doubt, after switching from the off-League to Advanced, Roxanne has become one of the most popular riders on the mountain!"

"Too true, Tyson, and it's not just because she placed 1st today. After all, she finished in 6th at the Peak One event, and there was NOTHING average about her unbelievable run down that peak!"

"First thing we gotta go over: the epic battle of Roxanne vs. Polly!"

"After causing Roxanne and a few other boarders a lot of trouble, Polly actually assaults Roxanne with her pickaxes during the intense Peak Two obstacle track section." The right side of the screen provides a crude camera angle of me and Polly as she scrapes her pickaxes through my protected stomach. "Quite naturally, Roxanne will counter this attack by pulling out her OWN pickaxes, resulting in the first-ever recorded snowboard pickax fight!"

"I don't get it; isn't attacking someone else with a pickax against tournament rules?"

"You tell me, Tyson; you tell me!"

"Anyways, this battle clearly ends with Roxanne as the victor, knocking the life out of Polly with her OWN BOARD! How hard-core is that!" A more high-quality camera snags footage of my final blow on Polly.

"Yippee!" Kaori shouts, clapping her hands as Polly slides off of the track. Sitting next to her, Mac looks at me and gives me a thumbs-up.

"But it doesn't end there, Tyson," (No, of course it doesn't, why should it.) "After jumping into a tunnel at the Peak Three drop-off, Roxanne mysteriously fades from the race position radar. It's not long, of course, until she is finally discovered in the most plausible predicament-"

"Grinding on a train track ten feet ahead of a SPEEDING LOCOMOTIVE!"

Right as the pop-up screen transitions to a shot of me racing in front of the train, everyone at the round table is flabbergasted. Even Zoe, keeping a blank stare at the TV, can't help but raise her head in astonishment. And the footage covers EVERYTHING, even my jump off of the track into the air, followed by me tearing off the side of the train with my pickax as I fall behind, leaving the locomotive bursting in flames. The footage finally quits when I am flung up and over the cliff face above the track after dragging my pickax along the cliff wall.

"Now, I know what you're all thinking out there folks, but it STILL doesn't end there!"

"Right you are, Nate. Roxanne has an encounter, not once, but TWICE, with the same blazing train!"

The footage switches to a camera in the process of me attempting to jump through the locomotive, now immersed in raging flames, at the end of the Julius town section. There's more cheering and clapping at my table as I successfully hop through the train.

"Now THAT is something else. On a lighter note, it has been confirmed that the locomotive, being used as scenic decoration for the tour, was under computer operation, and no one in the vicinity was harmed." I actually wonder if I'll ever be approached about the whole thing with the train. After all, I did just destroy public property, and that steam engine was clearly not salvageable.

"Hey guys," Allegra speaks out, diverting attention away from Nate and Tyson Logan as the talk show continues, "How funny would it be if all of Moby's beer was the cargo on that train?"

I'm apprehensive about the joke, but most of the people, including Moby, laugh heartily at the notion. Elise's countenance, however, becomes more serious.

"Actually..." Elise takes the TV remote from Moby and presses the power button. _Logan Coverage_ vanishes from sight.

"OY! What's the deal, Riggs?"

"Can it, Moby! We all knew it was coming to this."

My smile begins to fade away. Something is different about the atmosphere.

Elise turns around to sit sideways towards me. "Roxanne, you should know that we usually...we never invite newcomers like you to stuff like this. Your impeccable talent aside, you're still an Advanced League newbie."

I look down at my feet in distress.

"The real reason we invited you, Roxanne, is that w-"

"WAS IT THERE? DID YOU FIND THE BURIED TREASURE?" Griff pounds the table as he blurts out the question.

Elise turns back around to face Griff, irritated. "Way to be subtle, Wonder Boy."

I'm caught off guard by the question. The Rhodium cave had slipped my mind.

"I gotta tell ya, girly," Psymon menacingly shouts out, "it took every ounce of strength in me NOT to knock you down during that first part of the race. If it wasn't for Mac and Griff here telling me off, you'd still be chewing on snow and gravel!"

"THANK YOU, Psymon!" Kaori yells at Psymon. He throws her a frightening gaze, making her re-evaluate her previous comment.

Viggo hands off his second Root Beer bottle to a passing waitress and is handed a third. "Look, we gonna talk about this cave thing or..."

I look at Viggo, confused. He didn't know anything about the rock before the race, and must have just heard about this Rhodium cave an hour ago.

"C'mon, love, was the loot there?"

"Yeah, please tell us, Roxanne-san!"

"We don't got all day, you know!"

One by one, everyone sitting at the table expressed their interest in what I found inside Peak Three. Well...there is only one answer I can give them.

"Guys...what Luther said, about a large deposit of stuff or something...he was right," I can't help but start to smile, "Luther was absolutely right! I saw it all, there must billions of dollars' worth of Rhodium in there!"

Everyone sitting around me sends me a mix of surprised emotions. Allegra right next me is the first to congratulate me.

"Man, Roxanne, that's wicked."

"Pretty sweet find," Mac shouts out as he holds his Root Beer out in one hand and hugging Kaori with the other.

"Hey, cheers to something actually happening on a mountain, besides snowboarding," Griff says as he lifts his bottle in the air.

"We're all getting a share, right?"

The table is dead silent as the entire table's gaze shifts towards Viggo, the owner of the poorly-placed comment.

"Well, I mean...you know, 'cause, I TOTALLY knew about this cave thing as well, and, HEY I also...um...uh...cheers?" Viggo slowly lifts his own bottle above his head.

I sit back for a moment and decide to say, "You know what, why not? You're all here tonight, and you guys really did help me out. Besides, there's enough Rhodium for everyone!"

The applause is revitalized at the round table. Yes, it's really abnormal of me to be selfless when it comes to something like this, but what can I say? Maybe I'm just...money-drunk, if that's even a concept.

_And so, after racing in the Peak Three Extraordinaire and receiving royalties from the Rhodium, I was able to go back home and never worry about money problems ever again. And everyone lived happily ever after._

_The End?_

Oh...how I wish.

Among the cheerful and happy faces at the table, one person stands between me and this tangible reality. That person, of course, is Zoe, whose already melancholic glance has depressed to become more disparaging than ever before.

It's at this moment, probably after a full thirty minutes of sitting right next to her, when Moby finally notices Zoe's sad mood.

"Oy Zoe, what's the matter love? You've been better than this."

Allegra is the next person to acknowledge the situation. "Actually, I remember her looking like this for a while. Is everything okay Zoe?"

Zoe looked away, mumbling, "I...uh...no, it's really..."

"She's probably still lightheaded from nearly getting knocked over during the Peak Three run," I say.

Griff sets his right hand around his chin. "Yeah...I remember seeing that during the race. What happened?"

"We were riding next to each other when Anton came out of nowhere, so I pulled Zoe away from his reach. I ended up tripping, and we both hit the snow next to this fireworks cannon. She got really mad at me, but when she saw this fireworks explosives box in the snow, she flipped out for no reason."

And that would have been the end of the matter, further debate no longer necessary. Zoe, however, decides to add one more remark.

"Oh Roxanne...how can you be so _goddamn_ _naive_?"

I'm completely floored by the question, along with everyone else at the table. What the HELL was THAT for?

"ZOE," Kaori lets out next to her, "that was...invective. Even for you!"

"Aw, grow up, Kaori! OH," Zoe emits derisively, "hold the phone...I guess you already have. Tell me, Nishidake, how's THAT working out for you?"

Kaori chokes on a short gasp before looking down at the floor, not saying another word.

Mac, horrified by Zoe's retort, tries to comfort Kaori while yelling, "Yo, what's your problem, Zoe?"

"Yeah, that was...not cool," Psymon says, although he has difficulty expressing sympathy for Kaori.

Zoe ignores both Mac and Psymon and stares directly at me. "Riddle me THIS, Roxy; you ride into a mountain tunnel, only to amazingly stumble upon a massive cave of priceless elements. Seconds later, you decide to leave said cave, exiting through such a conveniently placed tunnel that leads right out of the mountain!" She slams her hands onto the table, dispersing the silver utensils around her. "And none of that reads off as the LEAST suspicious to you?"

I shift my eyes away from Zoe to my hands, which I have placed on top of the table. Sadly, she's all too right. It hadn't occurred to me at first, I thought it was just sheer luck, but...what if there is more to this than I see? Can it really be that simple?

I shake my head and look back at Zoe, my counter-argument in mind. "Why don't you just let this go, okay? It's all because of that STUPID box, isn't it? I'm telling you, and this will be for the LAST time, Zoe, we both saw what the box said on it, so j-"

"I KNOW what the box SAID, Roxanne!" She screams out in agony, her furious tone muddled within a face that's about to break into tears. "But do YOU remember what the box LOOKED LIKE?"

I'm about to instantaneously answer the ridiculous question, but my mind draws a blank. I sit back in my chair and peer back down on the table. What DID the box look like?

"Well...it sorta, um..." I uselessly attempt to form the shape of the box with my hands in front of me. "One thing I can remember was it...was, metallic? Yeah, now that I think back, that box was definitely made out of metal. It was shaped weird, too, it had all of these creases and folds throughout its sides."

"Wait, are you serious?" Allegra suddenly asks me. She looks over at Viggo. "Hey Viggo, remember the helicopter ride over Peak Three on our way over here an hour ago?"

"Hmm, what?" Viggo, who has possibly missed the ENTIRE conversation, puts down an empty Root Beer bottle. I, however, have an entirely new thought in my head: while I had to SNOWBOARD down the track, Allegra and Viggo got to FLY OVER IT?

"Oh yeah, I remember now," Viggo recalls, "we saw the track being built or, something, and you said how bizarre it was to see all these metal boxes uncovered from the ground at different places. I remember seeing a lot of them near the snow ramps all up and down the peak, and..." He looks around the table, noticing the tense faces sitting around him. "Um...did I miss something?"

"And the oddest thing," Allegra continues, neglecting Viggo's comment, "was that there wasn't a single person that we saw on the mountain, just a bunch of cranes and boxes. Isn't that just totally weird?"

Not a single person? No, I specifically remember seeing several crewmen across the mountain. Who else would we have seen? But now, sitting at the table during such a moment of stress, it's impossible for me to be 100% sure.

"Are you bozos for real?" Zoe says, almost horrified. She covers her head with her hands and turns away from the round table. "Crap..."

"Alright, enough is enough, Zoe," Mac notifies, "this has gone way too far."

"Yeah," says Moby, "you mind telling the lot of us what's REALLY going on?"

After a few seconds of ignoring us, Zoe turns back towards the table. "Look guys...about a dozen-ish years ago - you know, before my snowboarding career took off - I used to work in an explosives manufacturing facility-"

"There's a shocker," Elise states coolly before taking a sip of her Root Beer.

"ANYWAYS...well, it wasn't the best job I had. And it was really dangerous, too. Those 'metal boxes' you guys saw popping up all around the peak? We worked with the very same all the time. Back then, we called those Suck Boxes. When you closed it, it had an airtight seal, keeping all outside air...well, outside."

I take a chance and speak up, "But why would they need these Suck Boxes for fireworks? That wouldn't be necessary at all."

Zoe's scowl returns across her face. "That's just the thing, Roxanne! You don't put petty firecrackers, sparklers, fireworks, or even dynamite in one of these. No, I'm talking about the real-deal stuff here: Semtex, Nitroglycerin, TNT, you know, the works!"

"Oh really?" questions Psymon, "What can you blow up with a bunch of this stuff, anyways? I think that red hair dye is seeping into your brain, Zoe."

Zoe twists her head towards Psymon. "Haha, hilarious...how about a mountain?"

Elise spews out a sip of Root Beer she had taken right onto Griff's face, although Griff is too baffled with Zoe to take action. Viggo, who had picked up another bottle of Root Beer, decides against drinking at the moment, slowly placing the bottle back onto the table. Everyone else is left in complete dread. Yet again, Zoe has left the whole table in absolute shock. It's so outlandish what Zoe states, but...could it be outright impossible?

"Okay, you know what? This ends NOW," yells Allegra with a disclosed chuckle, snapping the tension across the table, "Zoe, what you're proposing here is just beyond possibility. It's past ridiculousness - in fact, it's **pre**diculous. A stockpile of deadly explosives during an SSX-regulation tournament? That's obscene! There is absolutely no need to infer on anyth-"

"I'LL show YOU who's inferring!" Zoe madly exclaims, pointing at Allegra as she stands up. She calms down, sits back in her chair, and looks away from Allegra, her gaze covering the entire span of the round table. I watch her emotionally mangled face; she must receive some cold satisfaction as she quietly states the next sentence:

"Someone...is planning to blow up Peak Three."

END CHAPTER


	18. Ch XVIII: IN THE WORLD

**Chapter XVIII: IN THE WORLD**

* * *

><p>DESPITE ZOE'S ALARMING INSIGHT, ANY INITIAL CONSTERNATION HAS LARGELY DISSIPATED.<p>

In fact, I might be the only person at this table who is considerably worried about Peak Three being destroyed (even Zoe has managed to calm down and relax back in her chair). Of course, I do remain the only one who has actually been in the Rhodium metal cave, so, maybe I have reason. I can still pick out a tinge of worry in a few other people, Mac, Kaori, Viggo, and Allegra, all who have seen these metallic 'suck boxes' on the peak. Everyone else, however, sits back in skepticism.

"So, what, someone's...gonna blow up the whole peak?" Elise (sitting to my right) says, turning towards Zoe. "Tell me...when did the possibility of doing this when there WASN'T a snowboarding tournament become inadequate? Seems a bit grand to me, endangering the lives of so many when it could have been done without much collateral."

Zoe sets one foot over the table. "Hey, I don't make the rules, Riggs."

"You don't make SENSE, either," retorts Griff, taking a tablecloth to wipe off the soda on his face from Elise's spit-take.

Moby twists his torso back to face Zoe. "C'mon, Zoe...why don't ya drop this while it's still cold? There's no need for such tension..."

"Oh...maybe...ah, you guys are right." Zoe tries to sit back up in her chair, but her foot gets in the way. She rests back, takes her foot off of the table, and scoots herself back next to Moby. "I mean...I'm probably am just a little on-edge. Working at the explosives facility wasn't exactly a high point in my life. A lot of people I knew got pretty damaged back there...the suck box me and Rox saw just...triggered some bad memories."

"So, just to be clear then," Mac softly remarks," Peak Three WON'T get blown up tomorrow?"

Zoe starts to laugh lightheartedly, and the weight on my shoulders subsides. It's the first time today that I've seen her so lively. "Why, of course not, Mac! I guess...maybe I'm just dark humoring myself. Really, I don't know for a fact what that box was about. There's paper and plastic in them for all I know! After all, it's not like anyone would have a motive...to...do such, such a thing..." In mid sentence, Zoe drifts off and once again rests back into her chair, placing her hand on her chin, a wry smile covering her face.

Uh oh. It's WAY too easy to comprehend what she's thinking about. I attempt to sum up a new topic, ANY topic that can change the subject before someone else-

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like there's any _one person_ that we could tie blowing up a mountain to, am I right?" Viggo proposes with a slight chuckle, picking his Root Beer bottle back up from the table.

Immediately following this, Zoe slams her hands on the tabletop, exclaiming, "**YOU KNOW**, If I **HAD** to choose a suspect for such an evil scheme," (DANG IT, VIGGO!), "my bets would lie with someone up top. You know, someone who's got power, influence, it's the last person you'd think of. Perhaps...Tedd Batty?" She twirls her index fingers in opposite circles before pointing them to the middle of the table. "Discuss."

"Wow," Allegra states sarcastically, being the only person to respond to Zoe's challenge. "Way to let go of those memories, Zoe."

"Aww, come on, guys! If we don't poke fun at this whole scene, there will just be..._awkward silence_."

Most people at the table, especially Kaori (possibly still pained by Zoe's remark towards her), continue to sit back from the table, clearly expressing their disdain for her idea. Griff is the next to speak up: "But, what's there to poke fun at? I mean, there's nothing wrong with Tedd Batty, whom I remind you is the _CEO_ of Snowboard Super Cross. He wouldn't have a motive."

A prior memory seeps into my mind. "Griff," I say, looking straight at Griff, "you said it yourself, back at the commencement ceremony, how Batty was going to leave the tournament early for business. And...we found that strange, right?"

Griff isn't able to counter my claim. "Um, I didn't, he..."

"AWW...isn't that cute?" Psymon shouts out from next to Allegra. I spin over to my left to face him. "Man, you're genuinely freaked OUT by this, aren't you?"

"Wha?" I react in defense, "NO! I just...merely stated a fact. Nothing more."

Kaori inches herself back near the table. "Hmm...well, I found it odd myself when I heard Batty wasn't gonna stay. It's the first major SSX thing that I recall him leaving early from."

"Just might be 'cause it's the first time he's EVER skipped out on one," Moby adds heartily, but his countenance suddenly becomes more solemn. "Now, hold on for a jiff...you buds don't think his leaving has anything to do with..."

Almost instantaneously, a noticable shift occurs at the table from doubtfulness to concern. Moby, followed by most of the table, glares right at Zoe. When she realizes we're all staring at her, she throws her her hands up into the air.

"Hey, don't go blaming me! I...I didn't think about that, okay?" At first, I think she's lying, to provide more stress at the table, but even in her eyes I can detect a sense of uneasiness.

And so, the awkward silence unfolds. Breaking the silent torture, Mac slowly asks, "Well...has he already left?"

"He departed from Hidden Summit before today's race," Allegra disparagingly replies, looking down at the floor.

Elise, the only person I can comprehend as still somewhat skeptical, slams her fists on the table and declares, "Alright, no more of this! Honestly, there's absolutely no hard evidence for any of you to hold against Batty, so none of you know what you're talking about!"

"Oh, really?" Zoe inquires, "And where is YOUR proof to back up YOUR claim?"

"Look, I KNOW Batty better than most people on this mountain. In fact," Elise runs her right hand through her short blonde hair, "it's a, bit of a rumor that I'm Tedd Batty's favorite SSX rider..." Smiling, Elise looks around the table for an envious response, but she is met with utter solemnity. She frowns. "Okay, never mind that; what I'm trying to say is that there's no way _IN THE WORLD_ that Tedd Batty would blow up a mountain. He founded SSX, and he loves his job too much to go and destroy it."

Viggo places his third empty Root Beer back onto the table before glancing over at Elise. "But, what if he isn't happy? Maybe there could be, like, some inside conflict that no one knows about."

"Exactly," Zoe surprisingly states, almost as if she found enthusiasm for pinning Batty to the evil plot. She she looks over to her left. "Griff, was there any reason you might have heard on why Batty decided to leave?"

Griff scratches the back of his head. "I...heard that he was gonna do something for a fourth SSX tour, or something..."

"Perfect. Lemme paint a picture for you all: it's been FOUR YEARS since the _Cali Tour_, which totally sucked in just about anyone's opinion. Except for all of these short-span tournaments and events throughout the year, let's face it; SSX has been in a downward spiral ever since. Now, _assuming_ that there is no 5th tour going on, perhaps money and publicity is a problem, Batty's gonna be depressed, seeing how a company that HE founded that has evolved into such a worldwide phenomenon is crumbling before him. And then, lo and behold, an opportunity arises; through some sort of undisclosed medium, Batty catches wind about a special mountain in an open mountain range that contains ALL of this pricey Rhodium stuff. So, why not just set up a fake tournament, blow up the mountain using a bunch of explosives while you're away, and shut SSX down while, in the process, 'investigating' the mountain and walking away a cool billionaire?" Zoe claps her hands out in front of her before resting the behind her head as she smiles jeeringly at Elise.

Okay, NOW I see what's going on: Zoe isn't being serious at all, she's just trying to tick off Elise with a wild accusation. But still...her mocking allegation is hauntingly plausible. There's no way it can be ignored.

Elise rolls her eyes away from Zoe as Allegra, sitting to the left of me, addresses Zoe across the table. "Allow me to point out that you just based your ENTIRE claim on nothing but an assumption, Payne. That's not proof at all! Besides, none of us would really know if there's gonna be a 5th tour or not."

"Yeah Zoe," Viggo adds, "why don'tcha go and blame some more people? I'm sure there's plenty of wild assumptions to be made. Oh, thanks." Viggo turns around to acknowledge a waitress who's dropped off a fourth bottle of Root Beer for him.

I scowl back at Viggo once more, but at least he's got a point this time. Elise laughs at the joke, commenting, "Why yes. How about Jeff Coates, the SSX Mountain Track Designer? Or maybe Frank Ouano, the SSX Audio Specialist? I'm sure they could pull something off just as ridiculous under some other improbable circumstance. There's also Dave Taylor, and-"

"Roger Nichols?" Zoe interrupts, "He was, actually, my second guess after Batty."

Roger who? The name doesn't come to my mind, and looking around the table I see that a couple other people who are also perturbed.

"Nichols, Nichols..." Mac ponders, "say, isn't he the guy who's running this whole tournament thing?"

Kaori snaps her fingers in remembrance. "Ah! Don't you all know? He's the CEO of that oil company. They're sponsoring the whole tournament to commemorate his company's evolution to energy efficiency, I think."

"Quite obviously a clear cut candidate for a guy who would blow up Peak Three," Psymon affirms cynically.

"Cool your jets, Psymon, I gotta make sense of this first," Zoe comments, closing her eyes after looking down at the table.

"Yeah Psymon, she hasn't assumed enough impossibilities yet," Griff acerbically adds.

Zoe whips her head back up to face us at the table. "Nah, this one's too easy. After all, he runs an OIL company, of all things to lose money on in this day and age."

"Nichols said it himself at the commencement ceremony," Allegra declares, "the company is switching to alternative energy, so maybe-"

"But that's STUPID, Allegra! After all, what about all those other major oil companies that tried to make the switch in the past year? They all got one thing in common: they shifted gears, crashed, and shrunk, just like most of the other large oil companies from the past. Fuel and energy efficient technologies advanced way too fast for those teetering Goliaths. And E.o.N. isn't even that major of a supplier of oil to begin with, so where would such a terrible idea of sponsoring a snowboard tournament with a new energy medium come from in the first place?"

Again, there's too much validity in Zoe's argument to let the tension pass. I decide to speak up. "Alright then...what do you suppose happens then?"

"Allow me to guesstimate on this one, Roxanne," Elise says, shoving her right hand into Zoe's face before she can reply. "So...downward spiral, money problems, "lo and behold," and so forth. Plus the fact that E.o.N. got SSX to allow them to sponsor a tournament, right Zoe?"

Zoe crosses her arms and glares at Elise with contempt. She mumbles, "I say it with a lot more passion..."

"Now, how would either of these CEO's get wind about the metal inside these mountains anyways?" Moby inquires, "I mean, it's not common knowledge, treasure coves don't grow on trees, y'know."

Kaori throws her hands up in the air. "You know what? I don't think any of this even matters." She turns to her left to face Zoe. "There isn't a single person in this mountain range that would be so cruel to do such a terrible thing!"

Zoe rests back in her chair. "Hmm, I don't know, I'm sure there's plenty of baddies around, there isn't anyone that comes to mind as of...well, I guess there is." She leans forward and crouches over the table, as if she's telling us something top-secret. "If there's anyone else that could pull off a stunt like this, I should be someone on the inside. You know that giant tower fortress thing that sits on top of Peak Three?"

Allegra answers, "Yeah, it's the control booth for the tournament...right? I recall there being a building on top of the peak where the starting gates for tomorrow's race are supposed to be located."

"Well then, it could be one of the tournament employees, secretly working in disguise..." Zoe continues, "OH! It could even be one of the store owners down at Hidden Summit! I bet that mean old geezer running the Coffee Stop near the plaza would do something like this..."

"Huh, I would accuse Marisol and Seeiah, you know, if I believed any of this nonsense," Elise casually comments.

"I wonder if Luther..." I whisper quietly to myself, but soon after I speak out to everyone at the table, "Hey guys? What about Luther, the owner of the Dwayne-Grady rock shop? He's the guy who first thought there was a giant cave of the metal, but, maybe he just wanted to make sure it was there before-"

I stop halfway through my explanation, because the rest of the table has completely burst into rambunctious laughter; Kaori, Psymon, Moby...even Elise couldn't help laughing at me.

Psymon's the first to calm down and breathe somewhat normally. "Whoopee, there's a side-splitter for ya!"

"You for real, Roxanne?" Moby asks me, "That giant mound of hot dog buns? Not in a million years!"

I cast my idea away and close my mouth shut. Now that I think back, Luther absolutely did not look like criminal material whatsoever.

"Haha, man Rox, you couldn't be farther from a suspect," Viggo shouts out. "I mean, who's next on the list? One of US?"

WOW...well, way to go Viggo, because right as he says this, all laughter, except for his own, ceases at the table immediately. Viggo doesn't stop his laughing until he looks around the table and realizes that everyone's staring back at him.

Zoe folds her hands together over her lap. "WELL, Viggo, if you REALLY want to put us there, then, by all means..."

I rest back in my chair in utter hopelessness. There's no way in the WORLD that these snowboarders will let up on this now. I gaze ahead as the suspicious faces in front of me rapidly exchange glances.

"Mac-kun..." Kaori turns her chair to the right. "Didn't you tell me that you were taking College Chemistry classes during the off-season?"

Mac turns his head over to Kaori. "Sure thing, I've been doin' some classes over at the Universi...wait a minute..." Mac grips the table with his hands and gives Kaori a dirty look. "What's THAT supposed to mean?"

"Nothing! Nothing!" Kaori peers up at the ceiling. "I was just thinking about all the COOL STUFF that comes from chemistry..." Her eyes wander around the room. "...you know, like...water...atoms...chemical-reactions-in-high- end-explosives..."

Mac shoots up from his chair and points at Kaori. "WHAT ARE YOU TRYIN' TO INSINUATE, WOMAN?"

Kaori stands up from her chair, shouting, "Why so tense, Mac?"

"Hey, if you want a suspect, blame Allegra! She's the one who's been all happy-go-lucky during this tournament, if anyone's hiding something, it's her!"

Oh great. Allegra shoves her chair back as she stands upright. "NO FAIR, Mac! What about Kaori? She's the one trying to frame people, you..." She whips her head to the right. "Viggo Rolig, back me up on this!"

"I don't know WHAT you're talking about, Allegra," Viggo yells as he stands up, "I'm not the one trying to blow up Peak Three!" Viggo obviously didn't hear a word Allegra said, and assumed she had blamed him instead.

To the right of Viggo, Moby fake-coughs loudly. "*COUGH* Psymon did it *COUGH*."

"I'm sorry, I did NOT just hear that!" Unfortunately for Moby, Psymon picks up Moby's voice, and both stand up to continue shouting at each other. To my right, Griff and Elise, both already out of their chairs, also argue with the rest of the table. Directly ahead of me, Zoe stands up from her chair and points directly at me.

"ROXANNE SCHULTZ! And I would've never guessed it myself!"

"I beg your pardon?" I scream out to overpower the the voices surrounding me. I lean forward. "You can't be saying that I-"

"Oh, it's ELEMENTARY, my dear! After all, you're the 'new rider in town,' aren't you? Everything is just peaches and cream for us until YOU show up, and now**_ I_** have to go to all of this trouble just so I can convict YOU of the crime!"

THAT DOES IT. Zoe Payne has gotten on the last of my nerves! I spring out of my chair and proceed to spout out at Zoe and every other ridiculous snowboarder at this table.

And so, the table fight commences. I notice from the corner of my eye that several of the people sitting at tables outside our open room are staring at us, but we just keep getting louder. The shouting continues for a solid three minutes, and except for my own words, I can hardly pick out any other lines.

"-Take that BACK, you insignificant TWERP-"

"-I have never in ALL MY LIFE-"

"-Only a BLUBBERING IDIOT like yourself-"

"-I don't have a CLUE what we're arguing-"

"-Obviously an AMERICAN-"

"-Why I ever saw anything in you-"

"-And to think I brought-"

"-You'll quit that right now, you-"

"-Peaches! Peaches EVERYWHERE-"

"-IN THE WORLD-"

"-I cannot BEGIN to fathom how-"

"-This is the final straw-"

"-You will be feeling a sharp pain-"

"-I'm better than ALL OF YOU-"

"-And JUST when you start to know a guy-"

"-You didn't just think-"

"-Why don't you leaf like-"

"Excuse me every-"

"_**WHAT?**_"

Oops. Out of the sake of arguing, we all turn and shout at a single waitress standing behind Moby with a portable table that holds nine calzones and marinara sauce cups that rest on a large circular serving plate.

The frightened waitress slowly speaks up. "I just... I just wanted to say...um..." She gestures to the food. "It's the...your food is ready..._please don't hurt __me_..." She turns around and scurries away.

Well, that just about ends that. I can see that a lot of us, including myself, are feeling pretty guilty about what just happened. Viggo, whom I swear must be completely oblivious to EVERYTHING, walks away from the table, picks up the serving plate, and sets it in the middle of our round table. Diners at tables around the entire restaurant are staring at us through the open windows, bewildered by the scene of shouting that the ten of us had enacted. The rest of us simply sit down, none of us taking a food plate from the middle.

"Alright..." Allegra carefully states, "if I can just go two seconds without ANYMORE yelling, I need to say that this whole scenario has been entirely blown out of proportion." She looks ahead at Zoe. "'INFER' all you want Payne, but here's the cold hard FACTS: according to Roxanne here, there IS a cavern of this highly profitable metal in Peak Three, but we DON'T know exactly why E.o.N. would sponsor an SSX tournament, we DON'T know why Tedd Batty left the tournament, and we DON'T know what's in the metallic boxes on Peak Three! In fact, for all we know there could be nothing in those stupid boxes after all! Besides, if there can one thing we DO know, it's that this_ Tournament Spectacular_ is bona-fide 100% REAL. We've all seen the trophy and the prize money, am I right?"

She is right. In the middle of the lobby back at the Hidden Summit Resort, a giant glass case contains a massive golden trophy, adorned with diamond and jewel attachments near the top. The trophy is overflowing with 100-dollar bills, most of the money accumulating at the base of the trophy.

Mac asks, "But, what do you suppose we do then?"

"*P'shh*, NOTHING, obviously!" Elise retorts before Allegra can answer Mac. "SCREW this conversation and FORGET anything that's taken place!"

"And run the risk of something bad actually HAPPENING?" Zoe loudly scrutinizes. "Look, while we can't seriously confirm that something's going on, none of us here can deny the fact that there's more to all of this than we see. It's not like there's anything we know for sure that wouldn't make such a crazy plan possible."

I fold my arms across my stomach as I address Zoe. "If you care SO MUCH about all of this, then what do YOU propose what happens next? What, do we quit, or, ask the officials if blowing up Peak Three is on the top of their lists?"

Zoe rests her hand on her forehead. "Well...maybe we sh-"

"Why don't you just ask Jack Nichols?"

Everyone at the table turns to the owner of the voice, Viggo, as he empties his fourth bottle of Root Beer.

"Let me guess," Griff states, "he's...Roger Nichols' brother?"

"For sure, he's got this obscure mansion estate on the other side at the base of Peak One. I saw the place on my way up to the tournament."

Psymon, unconvinced, says, "Great info right there, but what does he have to do with any of this?"

"Don't you guys remember what Tedd Batty said at the ceremony before the Peak One event? Jack Nichols was on the Safety Inspection team for the tournament, apparently he used to be some high-grade inspector for amusement parks and other events. I'm sure if you went down there and asked him, he'd know what's in those boxes."

Kaori inquires, "But what if he's not there? Batty did say that he was gone, that's why we didn't see him yesterday."

Viggo thinks for a second, then responds, "Maybe he came back! Again, Batty said that Jack Nichols would be back when he was gone, so he should be here now."

"And if Batty's LYING?" Zoe asks, simply not letting go of the notion that he could be responsible for the evil scheme.

"That wouldn't matter, because then Batty would be lying about how Jack's gone so that no one looks for him, when Jack might have been the the whole time!"

"Wow Viggo," Elise comments, "that...just might be the smartest thing you've EVER said!"

Other people at the table, including Elise, laugh. Viggo waves them off. "Alright, alright, I get it. Not that funny, Elise."

"That's good," Allegra says, "but, there's still a matter of sending someone to talk to Jack Nichols..."

I almost consider it clockwork, because right after Allegra says this, several others at the table turn towards me.

Not even considering backing out, I throw my hands up into the air. "Fine! Why not? Matter of fact I think I want to get this whole debacle over with more than anyone else here." I turn back over to Viggo. "You'll be able to guide me to the mansion, right?"

Viggo starts to stand up. "Of course I can, we'll get there - uh oh." Viggo clenches at his abdomen, and begins to sit back down. "I, uh...I think I'm going to sit here awhile. Anyone else know where the estate is?"

What a smart idea it must have been to drink _four_ bottles of Root Beer within 15 minutes. Instead, Psymon bangs the table and declares, "I'll take ya, Roxanne! I caught a glimpse of a large house on my way down the peak during yesterday's race, I reckon it must be the very same place that Mr. Bloated here is talking about!"

"Gee, thanks, Psymon..."

"Haha, good luck clinging to sanity, Roxie!" Moby blubbers as he holds his Root Beer bottle in his hand. I look ahead, but not at Moby; alternatively, my glare is fixated on Zoe, who stares at Moby with a mischievous smile across her face. She slowly states, with intense emphasis on each word:

"WHY DON'T YOU GO WITH THEM MOBY?"

As if it were a reflex, Moby spins around to shoot down the proclamation, but when he sees that it's Zoe's voice who spoke the sentence, he stutters, finding himself at a crossroads. He turns back around to face the table, not saying another word.

Mac looks down at the food on the table. "Y'know, guys, these Calzones don't stay hot forever...can we eat now?"

"Well, if everything's settled then..." Zoe, turns to her right and glances at Moby, then to me and Psymon. She grins, and shouts, "...let's eat!"

Everyone takes one of the Calzone plates, except for Kaori, who shares with Mac. I set a plate in front of me and pick up the triangular-shaped stuffed bread. I tear off a corner; melted cheese and pepperoni slices create a gooey bridge across the two divided sections, a powerful scent of parmesan and provolone surrounding my nostrils. I dip the corner in the marinara sauce and take a bite.

Huh...it does taste like a folded-in pizza.

I look around at the rest of the table; everyone seems pretty calm now, almost as if the last 12 minutes truly didn't take place. Even with the tension aside, I still strongly feel like I'm dreading tomorrow approaching. But, with the sorrowful fact that a 'tomorrow' has never failed to come around, another question takes control of me...

...am I still racing tomorrow?

END CHAPTER


	19. Ch XIX: So Very Wrong

**Chapter XIX: So Very Wrong**

* * *

><p>THE SLOPES BEHIND PEAK TWO ARE MUCH SMOOTHER THAN THEY WERE THIS MORNING.<p>

Granted, the area Moby, Psymon and I are riding on isn't part of the Cross Peak racetrack, so there are no man-made ice loops or sudden drops into oblivion. Instead, we ride on unaltered terrain as we trek towards Jack Nichols' mansion, house, whatever it is. I restrain myself from being over-the-top Tricky like last time I free-rode, since, although Moby and Psymon are wearing theirs, I still don't have a Life Support Suit. Even then, I enjoy our ride down the back of Peaks Two and One, and while the outside air is still well below zero, the snowboarding sport makes up for the cold.

In fact, I think I like this kind of riding better. The natural landscape, the clean air, riding at my own pace...it's just what I need after all of the commotion today, and it's completely stress-free.

Well...ALMOST stress-free.

"OY! I'm telling you, Psymon, you wouldn't know a good trick if it slapped you silly!"

"What? Moi? Like YOU got any worthwhile tricks up your sleeves!"

I tried before to keep my distance away from Moby and Psymon, whom I can hear through my tiny white M-comm earpiece as they yell into theirs, but I almost lost them in the darkness within these slopes a while back, so I decided to stay close and bear the noise.

"You blind? Did you NOT see what I pulled off at the end of the Peak Three track?"

"Yeah, like that Superman Barspin of yours ever won you anything! In fact, your inability to pull off something actually decent at _Triple Peak_ probably barred you from entering the _Cali __Tour_, am I right?"

"Couldn't be any farther from the truth! I turned down the invitation to go to California 'cause I knew how much of a joke that tournament was gonna end up being! Something you and the lot of them couldn't see yourselves."

"Man oh man, Moby, talk about about being selfish!"

I speed up to ride between the two. "Is it too much to ask for you guys stop arguing for a half a sec?" Up ahead I spot a ledge towering over another section of Back-country. I look over to my right to face Psymon. "If you think you're so much better, why don't you prove it right now?"

It's not my style to present a challenge to anyone, but at least it stops the argument as Psymon eyes the jump ahead. "Your on, girly!" He turns his head over to me. "Oh, and you too, Roxanne!" Moby, who's on my left, clenches his fists as Psymon accelerates up to and over the ledge.

I'm astounded by Psymon's incredible trick. It's very dark outside, but I'm able to see his full silhouette in front of the full moon's glowing light. Right as he leaves the snow, he takes his board off of his feet, and holds it away from the rest of his body. At the apex of his jump, he stretches his right hand, the one holding his board, way behind his back, and then whips his hand forward, letting go of the board as it spins around his neck. Seriously; the board SPINS around his NECK! I don't know how it's physically possible, maybe he jerks his head around or he keeps the board spinning with his other hand, I'm a bit too far away to tell. Even so, there's no doubt that Moby and I are NEVER going to hear the end of this.

Moby jumped off of the ledge soon after Psymon, and I jump into the air right as Psymon lands back on the snow below, placing his board under his feet before hitting the ground. I manage to pull off a simple Heel Clicker, taking both feet off of my board, holding the board under me with my hands, and tapping my feet together, but it's an uber trick that can't compare with Psymon's crazy feat. As I land onto the ground below, Psymon turns around to face Moby.

"Well well well, how's THAT for some competition? You feeling good about tomorrow, Moby?" Before Moby can answer back, Psymon slows down to ride alongside me. "How about it, Roxanne? Liked that Guillotine of mine? It's sort of my, signature trick..."

Guillotine. What a fitting name for such an insane snowboarder. "I gotta say, Psymon, that was pretty intense. How did you g-"

"Pause this!" Moby slides next to Psymon. "C'mon, Roxanne, do you really think that creepy trick is a match for MY Superman Barspin signature?"

I stutter, "Well, I think-"

Psymon edges in front of Moby. "Yeah, which one's better?"

Aw man! Not my brightest idea to challenge Psymon, because now I'M roped into this! This is going to be one long free-ride...

* * *

><p>After another five minutes of riding behind the peaks (five minutes? No, it felt more like an hour), we finally spot a large estate carved into the back of Peak One, the mansion where Jack Nichols must live. The house itself is amazing; it's gotta be at least three stories high, and it's very large, reminding me of the massive Hidden Summit Resort hotel. There aren't many colors on the estate's outside walls, maybe just browns, tans, yellows, and greens here and there, but the exterior design is fantastic, it's rudimentary colors contrasting with each other and providing an incredible sight.<p>

When I look above the house, viewing the steep mountainside behind it, my wonder vanishes. I can't help but think that an avalanche similar to the one in yesterday's race could cover the beautiful mansion with mounds of snow.

We cruise over to the main front walkway and take off our snowboards before walking onto the hard wooden floorboards that lead to the tall front doors, which are adorned with a delicate swerving design. I've got to know who this guy's craftsman is.

Moby attempts to open both doors, but they are sealed shut. "Aw, bugger this, they're locked up!"

"DUH, Moby!" I say, stepping in front of him, "we gotta ring the doorbell first!" I search for a button somewhere in the entryway and place my finger against a large jewel-shaped doorbell adjacent to the doors.

Moby, however, tries to stop me. "Wait, Roxie, don't press it just yet!"

But it's too late, I've already shoved the button closer into the wall. To our surprise, absolutely nothing happens, not even a single ring can be heard from the inside of the mansion. I try knocking on the doors as well, but to no avail. We wait for a good two minutes before acknowledging the fact that no one is going to open the door for us.

I walk away from the front doors and stand next to Psymon, who's been standing in the snow in front of house the entire time. I look back at the mansion, saying, "Well, this isn't fun! There's no one in the estate, Jack Nichols must still be gone! Looks like Viggo doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Now that's not possible, Roxanne," Psymon states, pointing up at the house. "See that window right there?"

Moby and I turn our gaze to a window that's near the top of the house. Although every other opening and window on the mansion is pitch black, this window emits a dim light that can barely be made out from down where we stand.

Moby turns towards Psymon and me. "So...what's that supposed to mean?"

"Think about it for a second, guys," Psymon answers, "If you leave your house for a week or two, wouldn't you turn off the power? And what about way out here? You'd guess in such a hidden area that there would have to be some means of not wasting energy."

I look back at Psymon. "What are you trying to say, someone's inside the house anyways? But it's just one light, maybe he forgot it! Besides, the doorbell isn't working, and no one came when I knocked on the door."

"Like ANYONE is going to hear a measly knock inside that giant house! And more than likely, the doorbell's broken, so there's no reason against someone being in the house."

I turn back over to the estate. Yeah, there is no reason for someone not being inside, but still...I can't help but feel that there isn't anyone inside.

Moby walks ahead of me and turns around. "Psymon's right, Rox; besides, I don't want Zoe yelling my tail off about all this bomb business anymore, so we've only got one choice."

I walk closer to Moby. "Wait, are you saying that-"

"Yes he is, Roxanne!" Psymon shouts out, running next to Moby and placing his right hand on Moby's shoulder. He turns to me with a big creepy smile on his face. "We're gonna have to break in!"

...That's not what I was going to say at all!

But I have no say in the matter as Psymon, followed by Moby, begins to run towards the side of the mansion. I have no other option than to chase after them.

After running up to the house, Moby begins to walk slowly around the perimeter. I turn to Psymon, who pulls out a fat black pouch from his snowboarding backpack.

"Wow...I've, never broken into a house before, let alone a mansion."

"Yeah, it really gives you a rush, doesn't it?" Psymon asks with legitimate enthusiasm.

Okay, I am not even going to ask.

After about thirty seconds of scouring the mansion walls, Moby looks back at us, standing next a window located on the other side of the house that's very low to the ground. "Oy, this is our best bet, guys!" I run up to the window and examine it. It's a fair-sized Bow and Bay window, the separate window sections convexing towards us, with Double-Hung windows on either side.

For a second, I believe that it's possible to pull up the bottom pane of one of these Double-Hung windows and squeeze through and into the house, until I read a small sticker in the bottom right corner that states 'Secured by _HomeLock-XXX_.' For some odd reason, I'm comforted by the sticker, which is placed on the opposite side of the window. I turn around to face Moby and Psymon.

"Sorry guys, but...we're not going to be able to get inside without setting off the security system."

"Step aside, Schultz!" Psymon yells, throwing his black pouch into Moby's hands and walking up to the window. For several seconds he stares at the glass, tapping on it, rubbing the back of his hand against it, even trying to look into the dark corridor inside as he quietly mumbles to himself. Suddenly, he spins around to face us, shouting, "Black bag of surprise, please!"

Moby throws Psymon the black pouch as I walk toward the window. "Psymon, exactly WHAT do you plan to do? There's no way inside the house."

Psymon, ignoring my plea, unfolds the pouch to reveal several metallic tools, along with a laser pointer, cyan-colored rubber gloves, pliers, tweezers, scissors, additional cutting things, putty, and more wacky objects I can't possibly name. Psymon looks up at us.

"What we're dealing with here is a Fourth Generation HomeLock Triple-X Triple Coverage Security System, manufactured by the HomeLock facilities, based upon home security system technology that is approximately four years old. I'm guessing this system was installed...most likely 31 months ago," he pulls out the rubber gloves and stretches out one of the gloves. "The materials are from China. The hardware..._Switzerland_." He lets go of the glove to produce a loud snapping sound, adding emphasis on what he just said. "The system is based on the use of three separate triggering points planted on every corner of each exterior window and door, making a silent break-in ultimately impossible without disabling the entire system from the inside." He puts the gloves on and picks up the laser pointer, mounting the open pouch on a nearby wall. "I'll have this bottom left Double-Hung window system deactivated in four minutes."

Again, I am NOT, GOING, TO ASK.

And literally, within four minutes of pointing the laser down into the corners of the window, etching at the glass, tapping out a hole within the pane, pushing against the glass, and doing other ridiculous actions, Psymon, his left hand applying pressure on the bottom left corner of the window molding, slides the bottom section of the Double-Hung window up with ease.

Moby claps as I, dumbfounded, can do nothing other than stare at the now-open window. Psymon holds the section up as he tells us, "Okay, you two, get inside that room and make Jack tell us what's going on!"

I follow Moby through the window and into the mansion when Psymon calls out my name. "Hey Roxanne, let me give you something that might help you inside."

"Um, sure, why not?" I extend my hand out to Psymon. I look back into the house in Moby's direction nonchalantly when Psymon plops a heavy metallic object in my hand. When I turn back to see what I've got, I realize Psymon has given me a large black handgun, which I'm almost sure is loaded. I let the gun fall out of my hand, but then I believe that the gun hitting the floor could cause the Security System to go off. I spend a good ten seconds trying to get the handgun back into my grasp, juggling the weapon as I try to keep it off of the ground. Once I've caught it, my eyes dart at Psymon.

"The, HELL, Psymon! What in the WORLD do you keep in that pouch of yours, anyways? Why do you have a handgun with you?"

"What? I always keep a gun with me!" Psymon states, still holding onto the window sections.

I. AM. NOT. ASKING!

"Now remember girly, it'll do you some good to hold the end away from you. I put in a new cartridge this morning but don't pull the top back if you don't plan on shooting with it."

"Wait...you're not coming in with us?"

"I can't, really. This trigger system reacts to pressure, if I let go without you guys out of there, it'll set off the alarm. I'll be fine, plus you got Moby inside there with you."

I can't argue with that. I turn back into the long, dark corridor that Moby and I have stepped into. I pull my flashlight out of my black sweatpants with my left hand, my right hand holding firmly onto Psymon's handgun, and shine the flashlight out into the space ahead.

The interior of this mansion, as if a house like this isn't always, is very majestic. While there aren't hundreds of statues or paintings placed throughout the halls, the wall designs and floor are very appealing to the eye. I feel like I'm walking through the castle in "Beauty and the Beast." As we walk, searching for the stairs up to the top floor, I look over at Moby.

"So...is Psymon always this, crazy?"

"HA! Maybe on an off day, he is. Nah, he is a bit loony, but..."

"But what? You two really seem to dislike each other."

"Yeah, back then? 'Dislike' would be a VERY loose term. We were bitter rivals back in the _Tricky Tour_, he cheesed me off more than anyone else in the lineup. Long story short, I guess we softened up, and we started going along the lines of actually competing against each other, especially during _Triple __Peak_."

"Then...what's with all of the constant contempt between you two? Wait...is this all about Zoe?"

Moby begins to walk up the long elegant staircase we found near the middle of the mansion. "Yes, that's quite right. You see, Rox, after Zoe finished up with the _Cali Tour_ four years ago, we started living together. We rented a room above this snowboard shack on BIG Mountain."

I run ahead and turn towards Moby, keeping the flashlight pointed towards the dark hallway ahead. "So you LIVE with Zoe, and Psymon is...well, he's still crazy for her?"

"Yeah...I didn't know why for a while but, sometimes I felt Zoe wasn't happy with what we had, and I began to think: what if she's into Psymon more? Sure, Psymon was always fond of Zoe, but I never saw it fit to think she liked him back, but...they're practically the same type of person! I mean, Zoe has always been a pair with me, but Psymon is more like her than any other guy. What if she's into that craziness more? I could never compete with Psymon there."

"Well THERE'S a fact, I don't think a sane person would have such a complete understanding in home security systems." I guide Moby around a corner and into a new hallway entrance.

"Hey, it was that understanding that got us in here, did-"

"Wait!" I loudly whisper out, keeping my eyesight on the house wall ahead. I turn off my flashlight; just as I suspected, there's another light around the corner, flickering out of an open doorway. Moby and I look at each other.

"This must be it, Rox."

We run up to the open door and walk through the wide entrance into the room. As I walk in, I can't help but feel a little perplexed with what I see. The bright room we walk into is a very long, rectangular-shaped room, the side walls longer than the wall with the door we walk through and the wall on the far end of the room. Both side walls were bare, save for a single small window in a top corner of the room (the same window that Psymon probably saw outside before).

What surprises me the most, however, is how the room is lit up. Sure there are a few ceiling lights, a couple LED's hanging here and there, but all over the room, covering nearly every square inch of hardwood floor, tabletop, counter top, are hundreds of brightly lit candles of all shapes and sizes. All of these variously-colored candles, every single wick supporting a flame, exude a powerful smell, which is a mix of fruit, peppermint, and other interesting scents.

Through the middle of the room is a deep red narrow carpet. This carpet, which both of us are standing on, leads to a giant green swivel sofa chair twenty feet away from us, which is probably 6 feet high. In front of this swivel chair is a large 40" TV placed high above a low counter top. Oddly enough, this TV is turned on, and the show that I believe is playing (I couldn't clearly tell with all of the candles in the room) is some late night news show, or something of that nature.

I glance over at Moby, confused. He throws me the same look, saying, "Um...maybe the chap fell asleep?"

I raise my shoulders in reply, looking back out at the sofa chair far away. In some rash decision, I call out, "Jack Nichols? Or, someone?" Frightened by having to speak out loud, I thrust my flashlight into Moby's arms and pull the handgun up level to my head, pointing it at the chair. "Just so you know, I've got a gun, so...don't do anything?"

My eyes dart back at Moby, who facepalms himself in utter embarrassment. I ignore him, looking back out at the chair. Despite my terrible interrogation skills, my decision seems to work; I don't detect a single movement, save the lights of the TV, from the other side of the room. I begin so slowly advance towards the green swivel chair.

"I'm sorry about this, if it makes it any better, I don't really know why I have the gun...I, I just want to ask you something. Earlier today, the other competitors and I in the snowboard tournament that's taking place began to have suspicions of, something being awry with the Peak Three mountain. I was wondering if you would be kind enough to tell us about the several metallic boxes located on Peak Three. Did you ever see them during your safety investigations?"

Complete silence from the chair that I walk towards. "Oh...I'm sorry about breaking in, I just REALLY want to know what's going on! We know that you worked with the inspection crew for the tournament, so you gotta know something, right?" I pause my walk halfway in. Even with the apology, I still receive no response.

"Alright, alright, if it helps at all, I'll put the handgun away," I stash the metallic weapon in a back pocket of my sweatpants, and start walking slowly forward again. "But, really, please tell us what's in those boxes! I don't know what I'd..."

I stop walking again, myself only about six feet away from the green swivel chair. My frightened tone changes as I become impatient. "HELLO? What, are you sleeping, Mr. Nichols? BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ALL NIGHT YOU KNOW!" I'm full-on shouting now, but there's still no movement from in front of me. I quickly step towards the chair.

"Aw, come ON, is anyone even THERE?" I grab onto the very top of the swivel chair and spin the chair counterclockwise to face me. "Because that would make this whole trip a waste of t-"

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

Not even horror can come to my mind fast enough as I am completely paralyzed by the sight ahead. My muscles are frozen, making it impossible for me to move, to breathe, to scream. I'm unable to think for myself, but within a split second, so many things instantly make sense: why the doorbell doesn't work, why only one room shelters light, why TV was left on...

Why there are so many candles spread across the room.

Directly in front of me, resting on this giant green sofa chair, is a dead human corpse. I'M NOT KIDDING; it is a dead, slouching, BLEEDING, _MELTING_, **_ROTTING_**, **_CORPSE_**. The face, it's deflated rotten eyes boring straight through my body, is completely unidentifiable, as every facial feature has melted and fallen off. The top of the head is stained a deep red, and any remaining hair on this head is a pale white. Every square inch, from the head to visible parts of the hands glued to the chair armrests, is devoid of skin, and bloodied bones bulge out of wherever additional tissue is nonexistent.

When the swivel chair abruptly stops spinning, the head, hardly attached to the crippled neck, nearly snaps off the rest of the body and falls to my right, resting on the side headrest of the tall sofa chair as cerebral fluid drips out of the open left ear socket. The lower jaw piece also falls open, revealing a black void inside the mouth that sucks me in. The resulting stench is terrifying; previously, the smell of the candles made it impossible to pull out the scent of a rotting body, but now, the stench is more than overpowering.

There are no other words to describe this torture.

All this time, I make it my top priority to scream, but no noise comes out. I reach for my throat several times with my hands, but I miss my neck every time. When I'm finally able to emit a sound, however, Moby's large dark hand covers my mouth. With his other hand he holds me over the stomach before I collapse to the ground.

"Um, uh Roxanne, we better...aw, Christ...eh, we, let's get out of here." Everything around me becomes a blur, the room, the hallways, even the snow as Moby carries me out of the mansion, but all I can see is that terrible rotting, sagging face, making it's way into the deepest parts of my mind.

This is all wrong. This is all oh, so very wrong.

END CHAPTER


	20. Ch XX: Leaving Hidden Summit

**Chapter Zero: All That Follows**

* * *

><p>BACK TO THE BECKONING, EARLY BEGINNINGS...<p>

_"So, what do you think of the job here at the Indoor Snow World?"_

_I spin my head around, gazing at the massive winter wonderland surrounding me. Covering every square inch of the expansive terrain is artificial snow, created through a massive turbine generator from the towering metal walls surrounding the man-made hills and bumps. Indoor Snow World is a spacious indoor complex, every square inch of ground, bunny hops, slopes, and ramps is covered in this white machine-crafted material, allowing visitors who pay an entrance fee to experience being a snowboarder without it having to be winter. _

_I look back at the man in front of me, a very young adult who, like me, has been temporarily hired for the a new part-time job of safety patrol, for Indoor Snow World's very first day of public access. He stands on a black snowboard similar to the one strapped to my feet._

_"I gotta say, Josh, this is the best kind of work I've had in a long while! Sort of like being a snow patrol person, just watching over the people riding inside here, and the snowboarding's not too bad either." Yes, enforcing the safety regulations in Snow World is tolerable, even if it's below minimum wage pay at this point._

_Josh puts his hand on his closely-shaven chin, noticeably thinking hard about something. "That's true, but...I gotta ask, Beth, this is your first time riding on a snowboard? The way you've been carving around these small slopes, it's clear that you've had practice."_

_Beth. I've made it a habit of mine to use my younger sister's name when applying for some jobs. I answer back, "Actually, no Josh, I've never gone snowboarding before, let alone have I ever seen real snow! This is the closest I've ever gotten to the stuff. I guess...this snowboarding stuff just comes naturally to me!"_

_"That's too cool. You ever thought about trying out for a spot in the SSX League?" Josh asks._

_I furrow my eyebrows together, perplexed. "Sorry, but...I don't think I've ever heard of SSX before."_

_"Well...I hope your talent will outshine your age. I don't think the company will hire a kid full-time."_

_I open my mouth in astonishment and stare back at Josh as I shout, "HEY! I'm 18-years-old, so I'm more than a kid! Quite nearly an adult, mind you! And if I recall, it's totally legal if I want to work." I'm about to whip out my partly-legal working permit from my pocket to show to him, but he holds his hand up, stopping me._

_"Whoa! You don't need to take that out again, we all saw you harping at Mr. Mellish this morning about it. Honestly, I didn't think you should have been given the job either, I mean, you certainly don't LOOK like you're eighteen, but now...I think they'll have to reconsider given the skills you have."_

_"Hey Josh, Bethanny!" We look over to a small hill as Mark, another Snow World employee around the age of twenty-five, slowly glides down an angled slope on his black snowboard. He turns sideways to stop when he nears us. "You won't believe it, Travis just bet 100 bucks that no one can best him in a trick challenge at the half-pipe area!"_

_"S'no way that's fair," Josh comments, chuckling at his horrifically-timed pun, "didn't he used to snowboard in actual competitions before?"_

_"That's what I heard," Mark replies, "but come on! For a hundred green, it's worth the shot, am I right?"_

_"There's no way I could do it..." __Josh slides back a bit on his board,__ glances __at me, and exclaims, "...but Beth here can! She's a natural pro on the slopes."_

_I slightly surprised at the idea. Me, snowboarding against someone for money? That's ridiculous._

_"How bout it, Beth? You up to challenge?"_

_I almost begin to decline the offer, but I'm suddenly intrigued by the possibility of actually winning. Sure, snowboarding for sport doesn't sound great, but this is $100 that's up for grabs. And if Josh thinks I'm such a natural, despite this being my first time, is it still possible that I might have the slightest chance? I glance back at Mark._

_"You know what? I'll try this. Count me in."..._

_..._

_..._

_...and all that follows..._

_..._

_..._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter XX: Leaving Hidden Summit<strong>

* * *

><p>*CRASH!* HOT CHOCOLATE SPILLS ONTO AN ALREADY STAINED CARPET AS THE MUG SHATTERS INTO PIECES. IT'S THE SECOND TIME I'VE DROPPED SUCH A DELICIOUS DRINK.<p>

"You have GOT to be kidding me, Roxanne!" Elise yells, picking up a rag that's already soaked with hot chocolate from a stool across the room.

"Aww, let go a little and chill, Elise," Viggo states as he and Mac, wearing swim trunks, Kaori, with a slim-fitting two-piece swimsuit, and Allegra, donning a silver-lined black swimming outfit, sit in a REAL Jacuzzi Hot Tub that caves into the floor, steam rising up into an air vent on the tall ceiling.

Placed around the Hot Tub is pearly white tile that covers the middle back section of the room. The rest of Elise's room, the highest apartment on the Hidden Summit Resort, is just as lavish. There was a large Flat-screen TV and a circle bed in the back similar to my room, but that's where most similarities end; for starters, it's at least twice as large, there's the full-on Jacuzzi, a revolving closet, an open kitchen, and a handful of sleek electronics placed around the room on desks.

Elise scowls at Viggo. "How am I supposed to 'chill' with all of you in MY room!" She darts her eyes back at mine.

I make my best attempt to apologize. "S-s-s-s-sor, r-ry, El-l-lis-s-se. I...I c-c-"

"YOU are allowed to chill, kiddo," Elise says to me, sounding less frustrated than before as she crouches down on the floor to clean up my mess. "And I'm sorry about shouting at you. Don't worry; I'll...make you another."

I sit back into the deep suffocating velvet chair, completely helpless against everything around me. I had no idea the mug would slip again, but right now I feel like I have Parkinson's on steroids, every square inch of my body shaking without pause, as I try to forget that horrible, horrible scene from before...

Of course, there's one person who will stop at nothing to make sure that doesn't happen.

"Okay, for REAL this time, Moby: there was truly, actually, certainly, a DEAD GUY in the chair?" Zoe inquires in bewilderment, she and Moby standing between me and the Hot Tub and next to a purple woolly couch that faces the TV screen.

Moby sighs, iterating, "I'm telling you, Zoe, it was the corpse of a man, clear as day. In fact, it could even be Jack Nichols himself, and that can't be good."

"Look, I get the whole candles thing, the doorbell, and the TV...but there's just no way..." she turns to her to look at Psymon, who stands over Griff's shoulder as Griff types something onto a laptop that's beyond the Jacuzzi. "Psymon, you got anything to say here?"

Psymon looks up from a laptop screen placed on a desk in the left side of the room. "Yeah, Moby's telling you the truth, Payne. I saw it myself, you know."

As Psymon says this, I see Moby, standing over Zoe's shoulder, trying to cut Psymon off before he says anything else. Unfortunately for Moby, Zoe catches on and spins around towards him.

"Now wait a MINUTE," Zoe declares, pointing at Moby, "you said Psymon was watching guard and keeping the alarm thingy off outside. How could he see a dead body that was UPSTAIRS, if there even was one?"

Moby starts to back away, but he realizes there's no chance to resist. He starts off slowly, "Well...I kinda, you know...I took..." He pulls out his platinum iPhone from his back pocket. "...took a picture of the guy."

My jaw practically unhinges from the rest of my head. Before I can express an opinion, obviously to be against Moby's action, Kaori stands up from the Hot Tub, sets her hands on her waist, and shouts, "MOBY JONES! You took a picture of a dead person? HAVE YOU NO RESPECT FOR THE DECEASED?"

"Oy, I had to have some sort of evidence! I knew there'd be-"

"Yeah-that's-great-gimme," Zoe rapidly states, snatching the phone from Moby's grasp and sitting on the purple couch. Within seconds of sliding her fingers across the iPhone's screen, a mutely satisfying *click* echoes from the phone's speaker.

Moby is in amazement. "Wha? How did you know my lock-in combination?"

"Oh, please, like I wouldn't know how to break into your phone, Moby." Zoe keeps handling the device as Moby looks down in defeat. A moment later, Zoe lets out a prolonged interjection. "AW, GNARLY!" She she locks her eyes onto the phone, her face show half amusement and half utter disgust.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Elise says as she walks towards Zoe, who shows immense fervor while peering at the screen. "Let me see this." Elise is shown the screen of the phone, which must be the picture of the rotting body in the tall red chair that I saw in the manor. Elise nearly gags at the sight of the phone.

"Good GOD, Zoe, SERIOUSLY?" Zoe laughs at Elise's expense as she hurries for the bathroom.

Zoe then walks over to Griff, showing the picture again to Psymon before Griff stands up and takes a peek. His eyes widen, and he speeds back into the desk chair, staring tensefully at the laptop screen. As Zoe walks around, Viggo, Allegra, Mac and Kaori have already dried off from stepping out of the Jacuzzi, anxious to see what's on the phone's screen. Almost all of them share the same reaction: a gasp followed by 'gross!' or 'eww!' before turning away. Only Kaori, partly to my own concern, asks a question first.

"What's that green bubble thing on the chin?"

Zoe bores through the iPhone's screen, jeeringly replying, "OOH...I think that's what's left of his upper lip."

To Zoe's dissatisfaction, Kaori simply states "Oh." before turning around to join back up with Mac, Allegra and Viggo behind the Jacuzzi. Personally, I would've expected a lot more of an appalled reaction from someone like Kaori.

"Okay, okay, I hope you've had your giggles, Zoe," Moby says, taking his phone back from her. Following this, Zoe rests back into the couch and takes the TV remote, turning the TV screen on to my right and on the wall in front of her, changing the channels as she pleases. Moby shifts his stance towards Griff. "Oy Griff, you finding anything on this Jack character?"

Griff, still sitting in front of the laptop, twists around to face Moby in self-disappointment. "Sorry man, but I can't anything about this other Nichols guy. No social updates, no news...it's almost as if he legit-ly disappeared off the face of the Earth! Guys, what if..."

"YEAH, we GET IT, Griff!" Elise shouts as she steps out of the bathroom, although I can't tell whether she had thrown up or not. "I think it's more than safe to say that this body, corpse, THING, that's in that room in the mansion is definitely Jack Nichols." She rests her head against the wall. "Damn, what a mess we've gotten into here...in fact, this is even worse than that time we all got buried under an avalanche during _Triple Peak_!"

Everyone else in the room agrees with her in unison, although I have no idea what she's talking about. Elise darts her eyes at Zoe. "WELL, you're the one that started this whole fiasco. What do YOU propose we do?"

"Hmm? I'm sorry, but...I'm kinda, busy here," Zoe slowly states as she continues to center her attention on the TV screen and the remote in her hand. "Damn...hey Elise! You know anything good on this late!" Puzzled, I sit up out of my chair and peer at the TV screen. I shouldn't have expected anything different; a late night news show plays on the flat-screen. I recognize the lead newscaster...it's the same late night show that was on the TV inside the candle-filled room.

Suddenly, I'm overcome by a torrent of shaking, my body temperature dropping to absolute zero as the spasms take control. My head rattles back and forth faster than a jackhammer, and I believe that my teeth will crumble under the pressure of my chattering. I cannot control a single move, not utter a single sound, not inhale the shortest breath of air.

Fortunately, Moby spots my spasm early on and notifies Zoe, "Um, you know Zoe, maybe you should turn this off, this show is kinda..."

"Um, NO THANKS, I'd rather - OH...I see!" Zoe states in amazement. She turns the TV off and stands up out of the chair while I keep shaking uncontrollably. "So that was the show that was on in the room? Too priceless!" She twists around to face the other people in the large hotel suite. "What do you guys think, maybe the late show was so damn boring that he just up and died? Like THAT would ever happen!" Zoe laughs out loud, not surprisingly being the only one laughing. "OH! I already know what they'll jot down in the obituaries..." she lifts her hands up into the air as if she was picturing the title of an article. "DEATH...by, boredom!" She states it very dramatically, adding a lengthy 'dun, dun, DUN!' to the end of her phrase before she starts to laugh again.

At this moment, my shaking abruptly stops, my desire to retort back at Zoe stronger than anything else. I stand up and say, "Actually, I would consider writing 'Death by MURDER!'" My statement easily nabs the attention of everyone in the room. "I mean, who are we kidding, guys? We really going to consider that this was accidental? We don't a CLUE what's going on here, but the Rhodium, the boxes, the conspiracies, and Jack...somehow, it all adds up to something!"

Zoe looks at me with disapproval, but says anyways, "Alright, Roxanne...have it your way." Her deceptive grin immediately returns as she spins around and states, "Tomorrow, we'll go up to the Peak Three fortress and give Roger Nichols HELL for setting all us up!"

I'm almost relieved, but Zoe's idea catches me off guard. I respond, "What? NO! Why would he kill his own brother? That's just way off."

"Oh yeah? Who do you think did it?" Zoe questions, looking me back in the eye.

I'm too intimidated by Zoe to answer back quickly, but Griff takes my place, saying, "Um, Tedd Batty, that's who! Doesn't it make sense that Tedd would want Jack dead if he knew about the metal boxes? It would completely ruin his plan!"

"Plan? Sorry, but, as odd as this sounds, I gotta side with Zoe on this one," Elise states, walking over by a nonplused Zoe, "I mean, it really can be anyone, EXCEPT Batty!"

"You're all wrong!" Allegra notes, wearing drier clothes along with Mac, Viggo and Kaori as they walk closer to the conversation, "As in this whole thing was all an ACCIDENT! Sorry to go against you, Roxanne, but come on! Would anyone really go to the lengths of murder, on top of planning a fake tournament, for a set of shiny rocks? There's WAY to much that goes out of bounds, and I'm calling BULL."

As she says this, my shaking comes back, even worse than before. I'm forced to take a seat back down on the velvet chair. I'm unable to make out everything that's said, let alone that I'm not able to speak myself, but I am able to understand a little of what's said.

Zoe and Elise, as well as Psymon, agree that if anyone could have had Jack Nichols killed, it would be his own brother. Griff and Moby on the other hand, including Viggo (much to Allegra's consternation), deny that it could be Roger and state that it would be Tedd Batty instead. Allegra, with Mac and Kaori take the neutral position, believing that it was simply a horrible accident, an extreme coincidence along with everything else that has happened, and that the police should be notified right away. Obviously, there's too much argumentative screaming for me to pick out more.

Seriously, I hate this. The Rhodium metal, the dead guy, the people I'm racing against...the whole tournament just blows! Even with doing so well in races and finding valuable rocks, the cons outweigh the pros by a mile. Never before have I had to deal with so much stress besides the snowboarding itself, as if THAT wasn't already bad enough! It's at this moment, however, when I begin to realize...

_I don't NEED to put up with ANY of this._

Out of nowhere, my spastic shaking stops, and I'm empowered to take action more than ever before. Without a single problem, I stand up and walk towards my snowboard backpack and board, set aside next to the TV by Moby.

Mac notices me up and asks, "Yo Rox, where you headed?"

I turn towards Mac with cold indifference. "What does it look like, Mac? I'm leaving Hidden Summit."

Everyone else in the room spins to face me, taken back by what I said. Elise remarks, "Now hold your horses, kiddo-"

"My NAME is not kiddo, Elise!" I shout back, "And for future reference, I've disliked that nickname ever since the moment I met you."

Elise doesn't try to debate me, and she sits back in the purple couch. Next Kaori, looking at me with a sullen glance, pleads, "Roxanne-san, please don't..."

"I'm sorry, Kaori," I calmly say, "but I'm done here. I don't know how you guys put up with anything, but I for one didn't sign up for this." I pick up my belongings and head for the door. "I'm leaving right away. There's a half-pipe event in Prague in a few days that I've been keeping eye on. Look me up if you're ever on the SSX site."

I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye, so I refuse to look back as I reach for the doorknob, open the door, and start to step out of hotel suite, and my competitor's lives, for good.

_THE END?_

Once again, I don't deserve it.

Because right as I leave, just as everything begins conclude in this miserable chapter of my sorry life, Zoe, as if it already wasn't customary, straps on one final sentence that shatters everything that I initially stand for:

"So what should I tell Ash Morrison after you leave, Roxanne?"

I'm frozen solid in my place. Confusion invades my mind as I drop my stuff outside, turn back around, catch the door before it closes and sprint back into the room, screaming at Zoe, "HOW DID YOU KNOW-"

"COOL YOUR JETS, hot stuff," Zoe states, blocking me from running at her with her hand, easily stopping me in my tracks. She walks in a circle around me as she continues, "Look, I know you're a bit unnerved by the whole thing with Jack Nichols, and yeah, maybe we don't know who could have done this, SO...I've come up with a solution: We'll get up really early tomorrow so we can sneak into the Peak Three fortress before the race begins. I know a friend that can give us a ride up to the top."

"And what good will that do?" Elise asks, standing up from the purple couch.

Zoe turns toward Elise. "Well, we'll get to tip-toe around a little, do a little sleuthing, and find out what's going on. So _A_, we might be able to tie the crimes to Roger, _B_," She looks over at Griff, "we can come to the fact that Batty's behind what's going on around here, or _C_," She twists her head towards Allegra, "We'll suspect no foul play, and the tournament will continue on as planned. Of course, we probably have to tell Mr. Nichols about his brother at some point, but still, it's a win-win situation for the rest of us, am I right?"

Others in the room exchange comments, agreeing with Zoe. "Hey, I'm down with it!" Viggo states. Then he whispers into something that I can't catch into Allegra's ear. She grins and nods her head, both of them walking back over to the large Hot Tub.

Overall, I really don't care about the idea, as I ask Zoe, "But how do you know about Ash Morrison? I've never said anything about him before."

Zoe walks close to me, speaking in a low voice, "Everyone's got their secrets, Rox-ster. I'm just a girl who can get on the inside. By the way," Zoe turns back around and begins to walk near the Jacuzzi, where most of the other snowboarders in the room have crowded around, "I wouldn't doubt yourself for a second. You stand a chance, you know."

I stand alone on the carpet, the others following Viggo and Allegra back around the Hot Tub. In the end, I decide to give in; no, I don't want to be here tomorrow, but...it definitely wouldn't be fair to Ash if I just up and left him. Besides, what Zoe had said...what does she mean by 'a chance?' As in winning the tournament or...about Ash? Wait; does that mean...does he really like me?

I'm too tired for this...I just need to sleep on it, that's all.

Annoyed with having to think, I sit back into the purple sofa picking up the remote that Zoe left on the seat. With the remote, I turn the TV back on, letting the late night show play on mute as my eyes - the rest of my body exhausted after waking up early with a hangover to walk with Kaori, carrying a 30-pound rock around Hidden Summit, racing in the Cross Peak Race Event, free-riding with Mac and Kaori, Eating with the rest of the SSX team, and discovering Jack Nichols' corpse - drift away into the background of the room.

The things that can happen in a single day...

END CHAPTER


	21. Ch XXI: Just a Dream

**Chapter XXI: Just a Dream**

* * *

><p>WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I STARTED TO HAVE THESE STRANGE DREAMS.<p>

I'm not a huge fan of Sonic the Hedgehog myself, but somehow the game franchise had influenced a peculiar dream of mine that I've had for as long as I can remember. No, it's not one of those 'past vision' dreams where you experience anything important, in fact, as far as usefulness goes I can guarantee that this style of dream entails next to no meaning at all.

It's sort of hard to explain what's going on...even with how long I've experienced it I can't seem to make out the exact details myself. In this dream, I'm either running extremely fast (perhaps I'm seeing from the point of view of the Sega character himself), riding a very fast car, or sitting in a super low-flying jet plane. Whatever the case may be, I can't feel anything or see anything that's immediately around me. The only thing I ever do see is the landscape around me, which flies behind me as I move forward so fast that I can hardly make out individual things on the ground.

While me moving forward very fast doesn't change from dream to dream, it's the landscape that I'm moving on that differs from time to time. When I began having these dreams, it was the hot desert surface that I lived on; hundreds of pale green bushes and short sand hills whizzing past me as I sped forward during this type of dream. One night, however, after we drove through the crowded streets of a brightly-lit city, the dream shifted; instead of shooting past an open desert, my perspective powered through the clogged streets of this city, moving past blurs that I could barely make out as lights, cars, and pedestrians.

For years this dream has changed based on places I go or landscapes that I see in pictures or on TV, from dense jungle to flat plains, even over an ocean, and the speedy translation over these landscapes normally lasts from 2 to 5 minutes. I have never said anything about the dream to anyone, because it has never frightened me, not even bothering me once. Not once...until tonight.

* * *

><p>The dream format stays the same, it is still me moving forward very fast, but once again, it's a new landscape that I'm moving on. This time, I speed over massive mountains covered with snow. I'm hardly moving in a straight line this time, like every other dream that I've had with this format; I move like some demented sine wave over and around these towering mountains. What really catches me off guard, however, is that I can distinctively tell that I'm running ahead, the dense chilly air pressing against my face, the force of my hands affecting my balance, and my feet pushing against the deep white snow for a split second before continuing my extreme speed up, over, and around the mountains.<p>

This dream carries on as such for a few minutes, before something happens during this dream, something that has never before happened in all of my years of experiencing this experience...

...A thought grapples me from the back of my mind, and clearly states: _Why am I running?_

Never before have I questioned this type of dream, but the thought convinces me to believe that I urgently want to stop running. Despite adamantly knowing that stopping is impossible during this type of dream, I somehow force my legs to slow down, my entire body eventually coming to a complete stop, halting on a ledge halfway up a mountain. I look down at my hands and at my feet; no, I didn't see any white gloves or red shoes, only my ordinary hands and black shoes with gray laces that I couldn't recall ever wearing before. I look out into the astonishingly stationary and stoic landscape. For miles upon miles I see snow-capped mountains blanketing the earth around me, every mountain top glistening from the sun above me.

Another thought creeps into my head. It approaches me slowly, but the question it presents is all too clear...

_...What am I running FROM?_

At first, it seems like a funny question. I've always wondered about it before, what could possibly be behind me during the dream, but I didn't mind, and I never tried to find out myself. But now...I want to know what I've been running from more than anything in the world.

And with that, I make the mistake to turn around...

...only to be faced with an enormous towering avalanche of snow and sharp shards of ice!

But in the millisecond that the avalanche takes to travel towards me, I am able to see my reflection in the wall of ice and snow. I instantly identify most of the reflection as mine: my bright green eyes, my fair colored skin, and my short slender appearance, among my arms and legs. One thing, however, sticks out as unrecognizable: the short straightened hair on my head, which is unmistakably a deep blue color. Before I can react to what I see, the barreling avalanche rams me in the face.

And that's when I jump off of the couch.

* * *

><p>"YEEEEOOOWWWW!" I scream out, my body hitting the carpet beside a fabric-covered couch as ice-cold water drips down my face. And when I say 'ice-cold,' I mean it must have been <em>hand-delivered<em> by Santa Claus himself! I look up from the floor, only to see Allegra, wearing a bathrobe and a towel around her hair, holding a now-empty bucket in one hand and a dry towel in the other.

Oh yeah...I remember now, I didn't want to go down to my own room, so I crashed in Allegra's room that was only a floor below Elise's. But that doesn't answer to why I'm drenched in freezing water.

Allegra, who I'm positive is smirking at me, asks, "You up now, sleepyhead?"

"What in the heck was THAT for, Allegra?" I shout, trying to wipe the icy water off of my face.

"Well it worked, didn't it?" She replies, and I can't help but acknowledge...did it work in getting me off of the couch? Well...yes. Yes it did. "Here," Allegra states, throwing me the dry towel she held. After throwing me the towel, her face becomes slightly distressed. "Um, are you okay, Rox? I can't help but feel that you're..."

"Hmm? No, I'm okay," I reply back, "It was just...just a dream, that's all."

The worry on Allegra's face vanishes as she states, "Nice to know. I'm going to be a few more moments in the bathroom getting stuff on, then you can get on the clothes and stuff that Kaori and Zoe brought from your room, it's all laying near the foot of the door." With that, she walks back into the bathroom and closes the door.

Thankfully, I'm a morning type of person. If it's not for some alternate reason, I don't mind having to get up early, even if it is by force. I use the towel to remove the rest of the water off of my face, and I stand up from the carpeted floor. As I stand up, I notice a mirror in the back corner of Allegra's room, next to a desk with a lamp and a hotel telephone on top of it. I walk up to the mirror, and peering at my reflection reminds me of the reflection in the dream. I tug at my boring black hair that cascades down my neck and around my shoulders...

In the past, I used to dye my hair a blue color, every single week. Bright blue, dark blue, bright AND dark blue...it was somewhat an obsession of mine to keep my hair completely blue year-round. It was the final luxury that I gave up, after an extensive span of time where I couldn't possibly halt the backwards motor I acknowledged as my life. After I stopped, it almost killed me to witness as my hair finally receded back to its dull black color, finalizing the fact that I truly was no longer the girl I knew before everything in my life changed for the worse.

"Well, what do you think?"

I twist back around at the sound of Allegra's voice, and I'm absolutely astonished with what I see: Allegra wears a slimming purplish winter coat that covers her torso and lower waist, her thick boots and loose beanie sharing the same smooth color, with all three pieces lined with white wool at the ends. Her tight jeans and delicate white gloves further complement her new outfit. She also wears deep purple-colored lipstick, with her straightened dark strawberry-blond hair nearly covering her lightly freckled cheek.

It's impossible to deny it; Allegra looks absolutely stunning. "Wow! That is amazing, Allegra!" I say, her incredible outfit completely erasing any remaining memories of the cold water ten minutes ago.

"Thank you, Roxanne! I just HAD to wear something special for the final race..." Allegra pauses, and starts to look at me with what I almost read as contempt. "You know...the race which begins today, this afternoon..." then Allegra points and yells at me in an angered tone, "Which it WILL!"

I don't understand why she's so mad, but then I remember; Allegra was the person last night who was against the possibility that someone is going to blow up Peak Three during the race.

"Alright, alright, I get the idea! Yeesh," I state back, walking over to the front door to pick up my snowboarding backpack and another bag that contains all of my clothes for today. "Say, you're...wearing a Life Support Suit under all that, right?"

Allegra picks up her own snowboarding backpack on the floor and sets it on her bed. "Of course I am! It's pretty thin, so it doesn't affect my look much. I'm sure everyone has to wear one anyways. You got yours?"

"I think so..." I dig through my bag, and sure enough, I have it. I was just worried that I'd go without it again, as I had last night with Mac and Kaori, or with Moby and Psymon.

"Okay then, you're gonna get ready now, right?" She asks me. I nod back, and she states, "Good. I'll head out now, just lock the door on your way out."

I wave back at her as she exits the room, closing the hotel door behind her. In front of me, I lay out my snowboarding clothing and gear on Allegra's bed. A smile makes its way across my face; it might not have been a good day yesterday, but I can't help but feel that today will be an improvement.

END CHAPTER


	22. Ch XXII: Little Fancy Umbrella

**Chapter XXII: Little Fancy Umbrella**

* * *

><p>I WANTED TO GET A LOOK AT THE PEAK THREE RACING TRACK, BUT THIS IS ABSOLUTELY <em>RIDICULOUS<em>.

When Zoe said she knew a friend that could get us up to the top of Peak Three, she forgot to mention how CROWDED this pathetic excuse for a helicopter could get with even TWO people, let alone ELEVEN. As my extremely good luck would have it, my face is pressed right against a side circle window, while two others behind me, whom out of the snowboarders inside here I can't exactly say, keep the rest of my body stuffed against the helicopter's wall.

Right now, Zoe's pilot friend, whose name I believe is Wizard, is transporting Zoe, Mac, Kaori, Allegra, Moby, Psymon, Viggo, Griff, Elise, and I up to the top of Peak Three, where the Peak Three fortress building (which I have assumed controls all of the stuff that goes on with the tournament) is located. All of us besides Zoe, who sits next to the pilot, are rather tightly crammed behind the cockpit and in the back of the vehicle. It didn't occur to me that it would take so much time to climb up to the top of the peak, but the enormity of the Peak Tree mountain, along with all of the human cargo inside this small helicopter, make the trip up strenuously long.

With little else to do, I peer out the small window that my face rests against. I'm given a limited sight of the track down below, but it is incredibly diverse; hidden trails, sharp turns, massive gaps, and snow jumps cover the entire surface. I couldn't make out any of the firework nozzle cannons or the metallic boxes, let alone these explosives that could blow up the mountain, but I'm given little relief with not seeing what could be there. Absolutely nothing will be certain until we find out what's going on in this peak building.

As the journey presses on, however, the commotion in the back compartment of this helicopter is practically inevitable.

"Good GOD, Zoe, this is the WORST idea you've EVER put into motion, bar none!" Elise shouts at one point during this ride, her voice halfway muddled by a wall of snowboarders.

"Hold your horses, Elise," Zoe calmly states (I imagine her sitting in a comfortable leather seat with a front window view as she looks back on a crowded living space), "We're ALMOST there, why, almost HALFWAY there up to the top!"

A roar of groans echoes through the back of the vehicle. "You for real Zoe?" Griff questions, "Why can't a couple more sit up front, and give us a little bit of space back here?"

"And run the risk of one of you accidentally BUMPING into this DELICATE set of buttons and doohickies at the front of this chopper thing and CRASHING us into the mountainside?" (She then picks up a sugar-frosted glass of ice-cold lemonade with a little fancy umbrella...I don't know, maybe there's fancy drinks up there!) "Sorry, dude, but I've gotta give max space for the pilot here. How's it holding, Wizard?"

The voice of the mid-20's pilot, whom I saw had brown hair and a weary complexion before takeoff, replied back, "Holding steady! The load is definitely a problem, I've never had to haul ten of you at once. It's more stable having to go up with everyone, but I won't be able to take you all back down safely."

"That won't be a problem, Wiz. By the time everything's straightened out, we'll be snowboarding down this peak in style!"

Zoe's statement, linked with my unsettling view of the Peak Three track, makes me feel sick to my stomach. Sure, I've made it down the other three peaks alive, but the track below is simply unpredictable! Dangerous, even...solid walls of ice jut out of the ground at every possible corner, tunnels that disappear for possibly hundreds of feet underground, a confusing mix of red rails and pipes strewn across the surface, as if giant balls of yarn were thrown onto the mountainside.

And to think that this entire mountain is only HALF of the racecourse, given that the racetrack actually extends through the Hidden Summit town and down a final stretch deep into Jupiter City at the bottom of the mountain range. If I could just get past THIS mountain, of course, I'd feel much better about riding.

Personally, I've had enough of this dynamic view; I begin to make my to my left as to get to the front of the helicopter, stepping over the metal bench on the inside.

"HEY!" A shrill voice rings out, possibly Kaori's...or Viggo's? "That was my arm, watch it!"

I almost reply back to apologize for stepping on the arm, but I didn't want her or him to know who did it, so I continue forward. Eventually, after pushing through the dense forest of my competitors, I make it to where Wizard and Zoe sit in front.

I didn't want to anger anyone behind me due to shoving for the space in front, so I ask an ill-guided question. "So, how do you know this pilot anyways, Zoe?" It's not the most polite thing to say right in front of Wizard, but right now, with everything that's occurred in the last day, I'm a bit suspicious about anyone new I meet.

"Who, Wizard here?" Zoe retorts (No fancy drinks up here; in fact, with how pushed forward these front seats are to the control booth, Zoe isn't sitting so comfortably either), "Why, he's been my private lookout for quite some time! For a few years, I've been doing a lot of snowboarding throughout the Rockies in Western North America, and sometimes the trees in that range can get REALLY dense, so I get him to fly over me, just in case I do something impossible, like mess up." She adds a short and hearty laugh to the end of her sentence. "So, you feeling lucky Schultz?"

I glance back at her, puzzled. "Um...lucky about what?"

She throws me a jeering smile. "About the whole 'evil scheme' of course! You still got your convictions locked on Batty?"

I'm completely stunned by the remark. "Are you SERIOUSLY placing a bet on on this?" I try to step back, but there's no space between me and the back of another person, whom I assume is Psymon, which makes me want to try less.

"Aww, come on, Rox, you gotta be a LITTLE loose, try to have some fun for a change!" I don't see how she can label targeting a suspect in a murder slash plan to blow up the mountain as 'fun.' Zoe leans back, reading the disapproval in my eyes, and states, "Okay, okay, I get it, maybe this isn't all the fun it should be, but hey, it's what we're here for, right?"

I look back at Zoe scornfully. "I don't know what YOU'RE here for, Zoe, but I came to this tournament to win. So the only thing I have any BETS set on is that all of these hapless conjectures are all in our heads, and that NOTHING is making this tournament the slightest bit bogus, you got it?"

Maybe I was a bit too harsh with my tone there, but Zoe replies back all the same. "RELAX, I don't need a whole sermon from you. After all," Her seemingly sarcastic smile fades away, "you're not the only one here who wants exactly that." With that, she turns back around and faces forward towards the cockpit.

At first, I guess that she's talking about Allegra, who also made it very clear to me herself that she wants the race to happen. But the way Zoe's grin dissipated...is she worried about this as well? Then again, Zoe's been all over the place in the past 24 hours, it's hard to decipher what emotions are going through her head.

Before I can ask what she means by what she said, a massive hand from behind me grabs me at the shoulder and pulls me back into the blackness in the back of the helicopter. Several voices ring out around me:

"Now now, it's my turn to catch some un-stuffy air," Moby yells. He must have been the one whole pulled me back.

"Um, NO WAY," another voice, whom I think is either Griff's or Allegra's, states, "I am DYING back here, it's my turn!"

Others, such as Elise and Psymon, continue to pull me into the depths of the vehicle, trying to claim the coveted spot near the cockpit as I think helplessly _nOoOoOoOooOoOo__-why-is-this-happening-to-me..._

* * *

><p>After a couple more minutes of slow flying, the helicopter finally lands on solid ground and powers down. My initial thought is that I'll be the last person out of the vehicle, but suddenly, the floor below gives way and drops from under me. I roll out of control onto solid metallic flooring, and anyone else inside the helicopter who couldn't find something to hold on to falls out of the back from behind me the same way. After digging my way out of a pile of boarders, I'm able to stand up off of the metal ground and look around.<p>

Somehow, the pilot landed us inside a hidden rectangular-shaped cargo area, possibly where other helicopters are used for transportation. There are however, no other flying vehicles, only miniature modern-looking golf carts for indoor transportation and large wooden crates. Five of the walls around, above, and below me are covered in silver-colored metal, save the longest side of the room. This side is nothing but open air, where the helicopter must have entered from.

I look back at our helicopter, everyone has finally exited the flying vehicle except for the pilot. As Kaori and Mac start removing our backpacks and snowboards from the helicopter (thankfully I see my pack and board outside already), Zoe walks around to the left side to address Wizard.

"Hey, you sure all of you will be safe up here?" Wizard asks.

Zoe waves the question aside with her hand. "Not a problem, Wizard! Just make sure you're good getting down, I don't know WHAT I'd do if you were gone!" She taps the side of the helicopter to give an 'okay' as the rest of us back up, and the helicopter powers back on, rises off of the ground, and slowly departs out of the building alcove and flies away.

I glance back at the group of snowboarders, and for the first time, I realize how differently a lot of them look since the first two days. I recognize Allegra in her lavish purple suit attire, but others beside her have changed as well: Elise's blond hair appears longer than it had before, and it now rests in a ponytail down the back of her neck. She wears a solid white jacket that ends well above her waist, with tight dark blue jeans and red and white boots. Griff wears dark red pants and a long-sleeved white shirt with a blue and black sweatshirt with the sleeves pushed up over it.

Mac's clothing is similar to before, baggy jeans and a green and yellow hoodie. Viggo has on green pants, a puffy black jacket and a silver undershirt. Zoe has on a short purple top and bright pants with a mixture of yellow, black and pink, her left cheek donning another face paint mark and her reddish hair tied into a short ponytail with black and yellow-striped chopsticks. Kaori has mostly the same clothing, except that it's more purplish and darker than the pink and white colors her vest and pants had before.

Only Psymon, Moby, and I wear the same suits from before, Moby with his yellow jacket and brownish pants and Psymon with his red headband and green jacket with black fur on the inside. I look down at my own costume, the same one that Marisol and Seeiah put together for me three days before. My board goggles, board gloves and my knee and elbowpads, however, are stored in my riding backpack with my snowboard, the same as with everyone else.

"So..." Griff starts off slowly, "what exactly are we looking for, anyways?"

Zoe immediately starts off on her ridiculous statement. "The way **_I_** see it, we're looking for one of 3 things: 1) Tedd Batty with a knife standing over Roger Nichols tied to a chair, 2) Roger with a knife standing over an empty chair with rope, or 3) EVERYONE inside the building is celebrating a coworker's birthday party, and if that's true, I call first cake piece." She lifts her hand in the air as everyone rolls their eyes, but no one decides to disagree with her.

Psymon looks over at one of the small golf carts and says, "Why don't we try out one of these indoor cars over here? We can get around faster, and I can FLATTEN any guards that try to stand in our way...heh heh." He smiles and rubs his hands together in an devilish manner.

"Not a bright idea, Psymon," Elise retorts. She acknowledges the rest of us, "If security guards are inside, and since it's against tournament rules to sneak around here, it's best if we can try and stay low. In fact, if getting caught is a risk we're running, I think we should split up into smaller groups."

"Oh sure, why not?" Allegra rhetorically asks, "It ALWAYS works out in the horror movies..."

Kaori and Mac wrap their arms around each other. "Well I think it's a great idea!" Kaori states.

Mac smiles back at Kaori. "Well, guess I know who I'M with..."

"Take it easy, everyone!" Zoe shouts, a little bit frustrated. Clearly she does not like to be the one who doesn't give the orders. "Now, if it's splitting up will do, that's fine by me." Zoe places her hand on her chin, and thinks to her self.

After a few seconds, she puts on a wry smile and points out to the rest of us. "All right...I'll...go with YOU, Allegra!" Zoe, as if magnetically attracted to Allegra, dashes next to her and grapples her arm around Allegra's neck.

"WHAT!" Allegra exclaims, trying to escape Zoe's headlock, "You, you can't just say-"

"It's said and done, Al." Zoe calmly says, turning away from Allegra as she looks at Moby and Psymon. "YEAH...you two should stay together, after all, you both DID find a dead body yesterday!" Moby and Psymon say nothing to go against Zoe's word, only looking at each other with contempt. Zoe continues on: "Then...Griff and Elise, I guess, and Roxanne and Viggo!"

"Okay then...what comes next?" Moby inquires.

"Simple: we'll all go into one of these doors around the room, and look around. If anyone finds anything, just...try to meet up with other people inside. We can leave our backpacks and snowboards out here next to the crates, and we'll come back for them when we need to use them later. We clear?"

By the expression on everyone else's faces, besides Mac and Kaori, no one is 'clear' with the plan, but I don't foresee any challenge to Zoe's ruling any time soon. After all, I probably don't mind looking around with Viggo...

...so long as we don't actually FIND something.

END CHAPTER


	23. Ch XXIII: The Sweetest Fish

**Chapter XXIII: The Sweetest Fish**

* * *

><p>"SO UM...WHICH WAY DO WE GO <em>THIS <em>TIME, ROXANNE?"

I turn around reluctantly to face Viggo. "I don't have a CLUE Viggo! I chose which way we went last time, so now you choose! Not that it matters...seems every direction leads to the same nowhere we're stuck in."

I look back ahead, facing the hallway that splits into three new walkways; straight ahead, the hallway continues on up to a wall that seems to mark a dead end. To our left is another lengthy hallway, and the entrance to the right splits into two stairways that go either up or down. All of the walls are colored a bright gray, the LED ceiling lights covering every square inch in a painfully white light.

"Alrighty, then, let's see..." Viggo comments to himself, taking what must be forever choosing one direction out of three. He points to the three hallways as he says, "Eenie meenie miney mo, catch a...um, catch a..."

I spin my head around with an expression on my face that screams _ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? _Who would forget the lyrics to the Eenie Meenie song? Fortunately, Viggo gives up on the words quickly and walks out to the left.

"This way!" He quietly shouts, wary of any building employees inside that might hear him. I don't blame him; I'm starting to feel the same way.

Right now, Viggo and I are (most likely VERY DEEP) inside the Peak Three tower, the massive building that sits directly on top of Peak Three. I wish there were a few of those 'You Are Here' signs around...neither of us have any idea where in the building we are! To add to that, we haven't seen any of the others, Zoe, Moby, Griff and the rest, since we split up near the entrance to the building's concealed cargo area, where we left our boards, backpacks, and gear, including our M-comms.

I speak to Viggo as we briskly walk ahead in the narrow corridor, "I still think it would have been better if everyone kept in contact with the M-comms. Then, we could get an idea where other people are, and more importantly, if anyone's in trouble!"

"Could be for the best, Rox," Viggo states, "I mean, not that it couldn't work, but, aren't the M-comms also connected to whoever our iBuddy lookout people are? And what if they could pick up what we say from inside here?"

The possibility of makes me worry...where would Ash be for all of this stuff? I hope he's not caught up in any of what could be happening on this Peak, with the Rhodium and fireworks boxes...in fact, what if...-

I shake the idea out of my head before I think any further. There's no way whatsoever Ash could be behind anything! "I guess you're right, Viggo," I tell him. "Hopefully, stuff will work itself out in the end."

Thankfully, right as a new intersection of hallways pops up, the wall to our left caves in a little, giving us a small area to hide behind before choosing our next direction. I look over my shoulder into the hallway on my left...

Let me just say: I am REALLY glad we found this hiding spot.

"Hug the wall, Viggo!" I whisper, doing the same as a tall man, dressed in a blue and white colored uniform, walks out of this hallway towards our right. He speaks into a handheld device, but his words are so mumbled I can't make out what he's saying. He doesn't seem to notice us sitting near our hall's wall as he continues forward into the hallway on the right side.

I look back into the hallway the man entered from. "It looks like this endeavor is getting more difficult to..."

I mean to continue on with my speech, but I'm interrupted by the strangest SUCKING sound. It isn't just a normal licking-a-lollipop sucking sound, it's LOUD. I don't deny it's Viggo, why, I'm more than certain it is...but what in the WORLD could he be doing behind my back! I'm almost afraid of what I might see as I slowly turn around...

It's not as bad as I initially thought, but I'm just as weirded out. Viggo holds a giant fourteen ounce bag of colored candy, the hundreds of objects in the bag resembling tall gummy worms, as he sucks on something inside his mouth.

Obviously, I start quietly yelling at Viggo. "WHAT? Where...where did you get THAT? No...how did you manage to BRING that with you? That's almost a pound of candy! WHY WOULD YOU BRING A POUND OF CANDY INTO A SITUATION LIKE THIS?"

"WHOA, you gotta relax, Roxanne! They're just Swedish Fish!" He replies, taking a green fish-shaped gummy out of the massive bag. "You know?" He makes the fish tap dance a little in the air as he sings, "*Because the sweetest fish is a Swedish Fish!* You've heard of them, right?"

I have never heard that jingle before in all of my life. "Okay, I guess...can I try one?"

He hands me the fish in his hand, and I place it in my mouth. I gotta admit...it does taste good, just sucking on the candy gives off a strong sweet taste, and I really enjoy it.

That is, of course, until I try to bite into it.

Either this candy is old and stale, or the Swedish Fish makers have a really far off sense of 'chewy.' It's near impossible to bite into, I just might mistake it for a soft rock rather than gummy fish candy! I spit it out of my mouth and state, "Yuck! What kind of gummy candy IS this? Did you even check the expiration date before buying it?"

Viggo hides the half-full bag behind his back. "Well of COURSE...it's just...I bought the bag around a half a month ago, and I've been eating a little bit of it at a time ever since! Is that too evil?"

I ignore Viggo's last plea as I look forward, the piece of wet sticky candy still resting in my hand. Luckily, right in front of us is a white trash bin that rests against the right wall in the hallway straight ahead. "I feel like going straight ahead this time," I tell Viggo, standing up and walking over to the trash bin. I place the Swedish Fish piece into the container and wipe my sticky hand against my short jeans.

"Hey, wait up!" Viggo exclaims, sprinting over to where I stand as he keeps holding on to the candy bag. "I was just thinking...you know those stairs we passed by? What if we went up those stairs and try to make our way to the top! We could get out of any other guards' way, and we might run into another group..."

I glance down at the ground and think a moment. "Yeah, and we could possibly even find Roger Nichols while we're up there! Wow, that's...actually not a bad idea!"

"Well, what are we standing here for?" Viggo asks with a smile. We twist back around to head towards the staircase we passed by...

...only to meet face to face with the VERY SAME GUARD that had just walked by us!

I gasp; the appearance is so sudden, so appalling, I'm literally frozen where I stand. If I had taken a moment to 'relax' as Viggo had asked, I might have noticed that the guard, however menacing his stature might seem at first, didn't look too concerned with us, almost as if he wouldn't mind two strangers trespassing inside the Peak Three building.

The man unnervingly inquires, "Now, what would-"

I have no clue what comes over me as I act immediately; I grab hold of Viggo's Swedish Fish candy bag, whirl the bag around in a tight circle for a brief moment, pull the heavy bag above the man's head, and strike him in the forehead with powerful force! The man instantly falls to the ground, unconscious.

I cover my hands with my mouth, astonished with my action. How did I even DO THAT? No way was that just me, I've tried to knock out people on a racecourse before with no luck on taking them out. Only something as hard as a rock could knock a man out like that.

Hard...as a rock.

Viggo, his hands covering his mouth as he reacted the same way, looks over at me. After meditating on the moment for a second, I hand the bag of candy back to him and say, "Told you there was something wrong with the candy."

Viggo, indifferent to the derisive comment, takes hold of the bag, turns toward the trash bin, opens the lid, and tosses the Swedish Fish into the container. He faces back towards me.

"Yeah...I, don't think I'll hold on to that. Shall we continue?"

He stands in the middle of the intersection and looks all four ways, checking to see if there is anyone else coming our way. He glances back at me, giving me the okay as he continues ahead down the hallway the guard was walking from. I follow him from behind.

I can't help but laugh a little as we walk forward; Viggo's state of mind is definitely WAY out there, but at least he's a little wise.

* * *

><p>After another few minutes of aimlessly sneaking around inside the building, we approach a tall metal door at the end of our hallway. Without putting much thought into our next plan of action, we open the door and walk through.<p>

Unlike the other hallway doors, this entrance leads into a large open room. Our new floor is a catwalk constructed out of chain-linked metal, allowing us to see through the floor to the solid white tile ground twenty feet below. This narrow catwalk clings to the perimeter of most of the room, although we see no one else walking up here. Our area of the catwalk is shrouded by several black cords that dangle from the ceiling, although we can barely make out figures on the floor of the room.

Straight ahead of us, this elevated pathway leads about ten feet away from the wall. We decide to walk up to the metal fence that protects us from falling over, stoop low under the top of the fence, and look down at what's going on in the room below.

The scene ahead is akin to a busy science laboratory; farther ahead, giant computer monitors are stacked on top of each other, an enormous array of flashing buttons and control panels on a silver tabletop below these screens. Surrounding this machinery are several other people, mostly dressed in white coats, that look at other smaller screens around the room and on the wall of monitors. In the middle of the room, a floor section made out of black glass covers a medium-sized square area of the room, with no person or machine-like object resting on top of this black flooring.

"A lot of those buttons there look familiar," Viggo comments, pointing to the control panel under the computer monitors. "Not that I've used those before, but, I used to work with a communications control panel for a while at my parents' ski resort when I wasn't boarding. I mostly looked over lights and ski lifts and stuff; nothing major."

"That's interesting...do you see anything here that might-"

But I stop there, as one of the employees in the room turns a wall switch on. The black floor, which I now remember looks a lot like the floor in Luther's hologram room in his shop, glows a neon green color, rendering a 3D holographic image of the Peak Three mountain five feet above the ground. One of the men puts on a pair of heavy-looking black gloves, the same that Luther had used in his room, and uses the gloves to zoom in on the mountain's image.

You know...this isn't looking all too sinister right now! It simply seems like the men here are PREPARING for the Peak Three Extraordinaire race event this afternoon. Maybe Zoe's a little over her head with all her assumptions after all...

And I believe exactly this until something appears in my line of sight: upon this hologram, the green 3D picture zoomed into a specific area that looks like a snow ramp in front of a cliff, a glaring red dot appears in mid-air; more specifically, in a place on the image that's all too similar to me.

"Hey Viggo," I say, "You see that red dot? I think...I think I know that place! It's the area where Zoe and I crashed yesterday, where we saw the metal box that she freaked over about..."

"Okay..." Viggo utters slowly, "But, what does that-"

He quiets down as one of the men in a white coat shout out in a rough voice:

"There's the one that was set yesterday along the Cross Peak track. Now, bring up the ones positioned last night."

As he voices this, an employee pushes down on flashing buttons on the control board. Suddenly, the hologram image begins to zoom out; meanwhile, more of these red dots start appearing all around and higher up the surface of the mountain. More, and more, and more, until there are at least a hundred of these red points scattered across the hologram. Within moments the Peak Three mountain, fully zoomed out, glows an eerie red light from the multitude of these dots, the greenish render of the tower fortress sitting on top of this glowing mountain.

It slowly occurs to me; these red dots...they must supplant something tangible in real time. And if Zoe and I saw the metallic box where one of the dots are shown...

It should mean nothing, in fact, as far as I surely know it DOES mean nothing. But it scares the heck out of me.

"Viggo..." I carefully whisper, standing up from my spot on the catwalk. I'm dead serious at this point. "We...we gotta get out of here...NOW."

Viggo stands back up and turns around, the color in his face draining as he looks behind me. "Um, I think we're a bit late for that."

I spin around; facing the both of us are two bulky security guards, who must have come in from the door we entered from. These guards, however, are different than the one from before. Both had a very stern expression on their faces, and they were armed with guns; not puny hand guns, but full-on heavy machine guns.

I don't know what to believe now, but the outlook is not looking bright.

END CHAPTER


	24. Ch XXIV: White with Fear

**Chapter XXIV: White with Fear**

* * *

><p>GREAT, <em>NOW<em> WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN?

My eyes turn to Viggo as we stand motionless on the metal catwalk, the two heavily-armed guards looking back at us. I almost begin to say something, having no clue of what could possibly help our situation, but Viggo decides to open his big mouth first.

"OH..." He slowly starts off, "I'm sorry, is...is this off-limits?" I bury my embarrassed face into my hand as Viggo continues on. "Whoa, my MISTAKE! In fact, I don't even know HOW we got here; you see," we walks behind me and puts his hands on my shoulders, "my um...niece, erm, in-law, REALLY wanted to-"

"Can it!" The guy on the left shouts. "You both know well enough you're not supposed to be up here."

I shrug Viggo's clinging hands off of my shoulders and address the guards. "Look, we're just lost, okay?" I throw my hands up in front of me, trying to convey some form of innocence. "There's really nothing-"

"DON'T MOVE!" The left man shouts, going ballistic over my gesture. To my horror he raises his bulky gun up to his head, its deadly muzzle aimed at my face. "I can-"

He doesn't finish his exclamation, for the other man hurriedly slaps his hand over the guard's head. Taken aback, the stunned guard spins toward the man on the right and interjects, "HEY! What-"

The other guard turns him around and starts whispering at him, both of their backs facing towards us. I look up at Viggo in confusion, and he shrugs his shoulders with the same thought. After a good thirty seconds, both men turn back around, the previously tumultuous man donning a more serious and tamed expression.

"I apologize for that," He says, surprising both me and Viggo with his calm voice. "But I had not realized whom you two are." He spins around, opens the two outwards-swinging doors, and looks back at us.

"Please," The other man states, stepping onto the other side of the door and into the brightly lit corridor, "follow us."

I don't want to follow the guards, but at the same time, I can't help but feel like I'm trapped, that if I were to try and escape the short-tempered guard would waste little time to take action. I look back at Viggo once more, his face holding a muted countenance of defeat. With no other choice, we begin to follow the guards out the doorway and back into the maze of white hallways.

We walk behind the guards for about two minutes. Not once do they glance back at us, to see if we were behind them, but I couldn't bring myself turn around and sprint in the opposite direction. Besides, what if they're really being helpful? It's that projection in the large room we left that's making me nervous, that hologram of Peak Three, and the hundreds of little red dots that littered the mountainside...is it really possible that something is going on, is it all of this anxiety that's getting to me?

My thoughts quickly shift, and now I believe that we were being led into a trap more than ever. I face forward and look ahead to ask for where we're being led, but the two guards are nowhere in sight. I spin around, looking down another empty hallway.

"What? WHERE DID THEY GO?" I shout out at Viggo.

"I haven't the slightest, Roxanne..." He looks around our corridor. "Hey, there's something up ahead!"

Viggo points to an opening in the wall, which looks like the entrance into another room. There's a thick, metal door that is fully opened away from the room, the type of door that you'd expect to find in a high-security bank. I walk up to the metal door, Viggo trailing behind me, and look through the room's entrance.

Ordinarily, I would have peeked inside and disregarded the room; it's an empty, white circular room, with no noticeable details except for a concrete bench that is built into the wall that follows the room's entire circumference, stopping at the entrance of this door opening. It's an entirely opposite thing that catches my attention; EVERYONE - Moby, Elise, Griff, Mac, Kaori, Zoe, Psymon, and Allegra - is present, standing or sitting inside this circular room! Zoe stands in the middle of the room, facing away from me. The others inside the room seemed to be listening to what she was speaking, save Elise, who is sitting on the right side of the room and looking down at the floor, discontent.

Dumbfounded, I ask in a high-pitched voice, "What are you all DOING here?"

"Ah, Rox-ster!" Zoe beams, twisting around to face me. "Great for you to meet up, we were just about to vacate the scene!"

"THAT DOESN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION, Zoe!" I firmly state.

"It's sort of odd," Allegra jumps in, "Zoe, Moby, Psymon and I met up a little while ago, and we found this room, right? We discovered Mac, Kaori, Griff and Elise inside of here, so, we came inside."

"YEAH, about that..." Mac slowly says, lifting his arm over the back of his neck, "Kaori and I were searching around the fortress, with no idea where we were, and we came across this circle room, so, we decided to, well...take a little break." He glances over at Kaori, who giggles. "Anyways, we were gonna start heading out, but then Griff and Elise saw us and came in came in!"

"Ugh, it was the freakiest thing," Elise comments, standing up from her gloomy slump, "Griff and I were walking, and all of a sudden, this guard appears out of nowhere and asks us to follow him. We did for a while but...he just disappeared! But yeah, we saw Kaori and Mac-"

"Are you for real, Elise?" I ask, "That's what JUST happened to us!"

"Then what are we still DOING here?" Kaori exclaims, shooting up from her seat on the solid concrete bench. "This doesn't sound good at all...let's get out of here!"

We all nod in agreement, but when I turn back around to exit the room, my face turns white with fear, my legs frozen to the bright marble flooring. For the two men that had been leading me and Viggo inside the hallways were back, still armed with the machine guns from before. I begin to step backwards, the other snowboarders behind me doing the same, as the guards enter the room, with another man following behind them. The man standing behind the guards pushes the two men apart and steps forward.

My lungs fill with empty, choking air as Roger Nichols appears in front of us.

END CHAPTER


	25. Ch XXV: Not Even Close

**Chapter XXV: Not Even Close**

* * *

><p>THE WHOLE ROOM IS SILENT FOR WHAT FEELS LIKE AN HOUR AS ROGER NICHOLS STANDS INSIDE THE ROOM.<p>

"Here are the trespassers, Mr. Nichols. We discovered all of them snooping around the Tower," the guard on Roger's left states. "What would you like us to do to them?"

Expecting the worst, I rashly proclaim, "Wait! Mr. Nichols, I-"

"NO TALKING, you!" The other guard, who stands closest to me, shouts, "Or I'll-"

"Enough!" Roger firmly states, silencing the guard. "Let her speak."

His passivity gives me temporary relief, but all of a sudden, I don't have a single idea where to begin with a response. I decide to cut out most of the story as I begin to speak. "Mr. Nichols...I really don't feel like saying how or, why even...but, everyone else here and I have been worried about...something going on during the tournament. Not odd, or peculiar, really, but, more along the lines of dangerous. I came here to ask about the silver, metal boxes that are around this mountain peak." Not a sound from Roger, whose expression borders between indifference and concern. "And, your brother..." I stutter at this part, not entirely sure how to progress, "we think someone might have killed him."

I expect some sort of reply from Roger, but he says nothing. He seems to just stare back at me, as I stand in the middle of the circular room. The repeated silence is almost too much to bear when Zoe sneaks up behind me, grasps at my shoulders, and begins to talk next to my ear, although she talks so loudly it's on the opposite spectrum of whispering.

"Aww, I'm sure you can tell him all about the Rhodium cave, Roxanne," Zoe says. She then pushes me away to the leftmost point of the room as she accuses Roger. "Yeah, that's right; we KNOW!"

I dig my face into my hands in utter humiliation. What the hell does Zoe think she's doing? She's going to get us all killed!

"The jig is up, Nichols," Zoe continues, "We know ALL about your ulterior motive: to BLOW up Peak Three before the race and hoard all of the metal inside the cavern! And to think you would've gotten away with it, too..." Zoe turns around in a half-circle, taking a few steps toward the back of the room. "You, unfortunately, forgot to count on one thing," She spins back around, lifting her finger in accusation, "You didn't count on US discovering the Rhodium cavern ourselves, or the concealment of your weapons of mass destruction, or, in a most heinous crime, the murder of JACK NICHOLS!"

At this point, I'm completely embarrassed by Zoe's conduct, sharing the very same feeling with the rest of the snowboarders in the room, mainly Moby and Elise. It's very clear that Zoe has either been right on the mark, or been making a complete fool out of herself. Once she has finally ended her rant, my grandest hope is that Roger Nichols will spurn Zoe altogether, and tell the rest of us in a professional manner about what's REALLY going on on Peak Three. Roger, however, does something entirely different.

He begins to laugh.

Even as the two guards standing on either side of Roger remain still and noiseless, Roger's laughter advances from out loud and normal to certifiably frightening, laughing loudly for the duration of several seconds. At one moment, Zoe partly joins in with laughter, but immediately shuts herself up afterwards, unsure, like the rest of us snowboarders in the room, of how to react to Roger.

When he finally calms down enough to the point where his words are audible, Roger begins to speak. "Haha...oh, I'm sorry, Ms. Payne, but you're not even close."

If his abrupt laughter didn't intimidate or scare everyone else in the room, Roger's final phrase does. Not only do the words not make any sense, but Roger fails to defend himself from Zoe's wild accusations. Probably more disturbed than the rest of us, Zoe takes a step back away from Roger.

"Oh...I, I see," She uneasily replies, her eyes darting across the room, possibly looking for a way out. "WELL...in that case, you know, now that all of that's settled," She stands next to Viggo and Mac on the opposite side of the room, the furthest away from me, "I think I speak for everyone here when leaving is-"

"Leave?" Roger asks, his interruption more in the form of a statement, before motioning something to the guards.

It's at this point when the guards reach for the machine guns saddled onto their backs, raise the guns over their heads, and take aim at the the rest of us in the circular room. "Actually, none of you will be leaving this room. Ever."

In those overwhelming few seconds, Roger unwittingly answers, 'Why yes, Zoe, you pretty much summed up the entire plan right there.' This means...everything that Zoe said was...true? But it still doesn't make sense...how was Zoe not even close?

Out of nowhere, Allegra begins to laugh. But it's not humorous laughter, it's laughter of absolute disbelief. "Alright...you, have GOT to be kidding me! After all of this time, this whole SSX tournament, is nothing but some...coverup? I REALLY hope that you don't expect me, Roger, to-"

"DON'T, make another sound!" Roger interrupts, his shout easily startling the rest of us. Retrieving his composure, Roger remarks, "Now, if...I may afford a moment..."

As he says this, Roger lifts his hand up to the bottom of his neck and starts to tug at his skin. This, of course, strikes me as a little odd. Why is he pulling at his face?

And that's when I realized: He's not trying to pull off his face...

_He's pulling off a mask._

And sure enough, as Roger continues to pull at a piece of flesh near his chin, it starts to tear off, stretching the rest of his face, which now stands out as noticeably artificial. There's no question about it, this man's face is covered with a mask of Roger Nichols. But if this isn't Roger, then...it could be anyone! All at once, suspects bounce around in my head. Tedd Batty, Luther...even the tuxedo-ed man whom I encountered in my motel room, the person whom I talked to over room service in the Hidden Summit Resort, and..._ASH MORRISON_?

But when the mask is finally removed, I can't help but feel somewhat disappointed. The man who stands in front of us between the two armed guards is completely unrecognizable. I've never seen this man before in my life.

"WOW...that's...that's amazing," Zoe half-heartedly states, not knowing exactly what she was dealing with.

"Yeah, I don't get it either," Psymon comments, coupling with Zoe's confused reaction. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Huh, how very odd," this person says, "It's rather amusing, really; in the past I've been told that I have an uncanny resemblance to...my brother."

THERE. The force of a million blows to the stomach squeeze the air out of my lungs as the truth knocks me off of my feet. "Oh, my god..." I shout, my words stalled by my inability to produce enough air to complete the sentence. "You're...you're _JACK NICHOLS_, AREN'T YOU?"

"Bingo, right you are," he exclaims. Everyone else, Kaori, Moby, Psymon, Allegra, Mac, Elise, Griff, and Viggo, share my appalled reaction.

"NO WAY, that's...impossible!" Griff yells, "You're supposed to be dead!"

Moby follows Griff's interjection. "Quite right, there. If it's not your body that's in that mansion, then who-" Moby immediately stops speaking, as the rest of us begin to understand the truth...

It's all too obvious whose body actually lies dead in Jack's mansion.

"No..." Zoe utters from the opposite side of the room, falling onto the concrete seating an digging her nails into the top of her head as she sits. "It's not...it's NOT RIGHT!"

What, is she mad that we're now fully in this dangerous mess or...frustrated that she was wrong? Zoe continues: "I mean, at least Tedd Batty and Roger had motives, even the old crab running the coffee place made more sense, but you..." She growls, darts back up from the wall ledge, and shoots her pointed finger at Jack. "**_YOU!_** Just, who the HELL are you anyways? You can't just, STROLL right in here and proclaim yourself the bad guy! What's YOUR beef with society?"

"I am very glad you asked that," Jack joyously states, but his tone is rather muted and ominous. "I'm sure none of you are extensively aware of my past career, am I right?"

"Maybe a little..." Viggo quietly remarks, "You were a safety inspector for amusement park rides, weren't you?"

"I didn't JUST inspect rides, Mr. Rolig...I CREATED them." Jack starts shuffle back and forth in the space between the two guards, machine guns still at the ready, as he elaborates. "Design, inspection, prduction...my high quality work in the entertainment industry became widely popular around the world. I guided manufacturing in the creation of most large scale roller coasters and other amusement park attractions. I even worked in design firms like S&S and TOGO, and collaborated with extensive projects with names such as Cedar Fair and Six Flags." He stopped shuffling about, his body facing the exit of this circular room. "I easily made tens of thousands off of my particular work, and I loved every second of it."

Moby scratches the back of his head, "So...what went wrong there? Doesn't seem like something's awry."

"Not something, SOMEONE," Jack retorts, twisting back around to face us. "Apparently, some idiot's child thought it would be a _splendid_ idea during a coaster ride, a ride that I _rightfully _and_ accurately_ inspected, to wriggle out of his harness and JUMP out of the train, decapitating himself in the process." His voice, shifting from singsongy to serious, morphs into resentment. "Fingers were pointed, and _I_ received the axe in the back!" Fists clenched, he looks like he's about to sprint over and punch one of us in the jaw, but his face falters with remorse. "My years of dedication meant nothing, my respectable reputation immediately shattered. I was no longer hired for amusement park work after the incident. Within a couple years, I would be broke, left with nothing of the millions I strived for."

He turns back around, as if he were to leave the room. But from the corner of where I stand, I see his face light up; almost as if he remembered something important. With his hand in the air, he looks back at us. "However, a peculiar event happened to me: what must have been several months ago, I decided to hike up this very mountain peak and ski part of the way down, half-hoping that some unfortunate accident would quickly take my life. In contrast, I fell into a deep cavern within the peak, and beheld the treasure within: millions upon millions of dollar's worth of exceedingly rare Rhodium metal. I was ecstatic; no more would I suffer the possibility of losing my possessions, and possibly even buying my way back into the entertainment industry."

A delightful grin stretched across his lips, Jack now resembles nothing like the nemesis from a mere minute ago. One question from Allegra, however, easily breaks his countenance. "But, then what? What happened after that and caused all of THIS to take place?" She forcefully asks.

Anger fills across Jack's face. "I...TRUSTED him!" He states, although the force behind his words makes it sound like he's quietly yelling. "After discovering the Rhodium deposit, in my most BLATANT ignorance...I told my brother, Roger, about the cavern. I knew I wouldn't have the funds for a private and quiet excavation of the mountain's resources, and one granted by the government here or other outside influence would cost me too much and leave me with too little. I admit, it was my grandest folly to date. Within days I discovered that the region was to be prospected by a private investor." Once again, his voice becomes filled with fury. "I should have known he was going to want to take the metal for himself!"

"Yeesh, how selfish," Griff comments, "And...he wasn't worried about what you would think?"

"He hadn't a clue that I had found out," Jack says, his voice calm again. "So here I was, stuck with the possibility of attaining nothing of the royalties from this metal deposit, and still being broke. I was stuck...until I discovered something," Jack quietly chuckles, but I'm able to hear it between his sentences. "A past prospector of the region was none other than Tedd Batty, 7 years ago. It turns out that this very mountain range, where the _SSX Tournament Spectacular_ has taken place, was Tedd's first choice of where he wanted to construct BIG Mountain for the third SSX tour. His investment fell through, so he had _Triple Peak_ take place elsewhere."

It appears that Jack is going to continue, but Elise interrupts. "Look, Jack, if I wanted the history lesson, I would have asked," she states, irritated. "Is there a point to this rant?"

Jack smiles, although is facial expression registers as menacing to me. "Why of course there is, Ms. Riggs; in fact, it's at this point where I begin to formulate the plan that's transpiring this very moment!" He turns to the right, walking back and forth between the guards as before. "I was so confident of this plan, that I immediately set it into motion: that night I called Tedd, informing him that I was Roger Nichols, and that I was interested in my company sponsoring a snowboarding tournament in this region. Tedd was...surprisingly enthusiastic about the idea, so much that he gave me the superior position throughout the endeavor, provided that I would run the tournament if he were to take leave."

"But..." I try and carefully utter, but my thoughts get the best of me and I say, "you still had Roger in the way," I point out at him, "so you killed him, didn't you?"

"Ugh, you make it sound like my actions were totally uncalled for," Jack flatly states, halting his saunter between the guards for a second to look at me, "But yes, soon after my encounter with Tedd Batty over the phone I invited Roger over for the night. Unaware of my acknowledgement of his betrayal, he might have thought I just wanted to ask him about his luck in finding an excavation team, he promptly accepted my offer. I beckoned him to relax at one point, and simply poisoned his drink."

"Sounds fantastic," Zoe, who has been surprisingly quiet, exclaims from her seat. "But, did you REALLY have to leave his _rotting corpse _inside the mansion? Not only is that absolutely disgusting, but oddly sloppy, especially for someone trying to pull off a scheme like this."

Jack stops walking about and waves his hand at Zoe in dismissal. "Oh, you simply must allow me to finish, Ms. Payne. As I was saying, after I murdered my brother, I donned the complex disguise that I had been wearing," he holds up the flesh-like mask in his other hand. "Thankfully, I had extensive knowledge about Roger's business life - keys, phone numbers, employees, mostly things he told and gave me himself in case of an emergency. After a bit of practice, I seamlessly became the C.E.O. of E.o.N. for the short time that I would be there. It only took one short business meeting to convince the rest of the E.o.N. company to make the dream of the _SSX Tournament Spectacular_ a reality. Roger's prior pioneering in alternative energy sources gave the added support for the showcasing of the public event.

"I've actually done quite little in labor terms; Tedd provided almost everything for the tournament: the race track layouts, the crowds, outside entertainment, and even all of you," he gestures to us snowboarders in the room, "including the other 30 riders who had been previously terminated from the event. My role in this tournament has been strictly to maintain control, as I have for the past two days up here in the Peak Three Control Tower."

"But what about the bombs, or explosives, or whatever!" Allegra shouts, noticeably impatient at this point. "Are those real?"

"Why of course they are, Ms. Sauvagess. All across the Peak Three mountainside, hundreds of rounds of intricately placed high-end explosives have been removed from the special metal boxes and buried beneath the ground, as to fully unearth the top of the mountain and deem it easier for an excavation of the Rhodium cavern." Jack's menacing grin returns, and I cringe. Even so far into his revealing story, Jack's confession of the contents of the boxes confirm my worst fears. "Soon, I will take my leave of this Tower. The bombs shall detonate a while afterwards, taking place several hours before the 7:00 pm start time for the Peak Three Extraordinaire."

Oh yeah, I forgot...the Peak Three Extraordinaire event is scheduled for an evening start time, so that by the time us competitors were to reach Jupiter City, it would be nightfall, providing a magnificent race through the artificial lights of the city.

Well, not that it mattered anymore.

Jack keeps going on, "Following the explosions, I would return as myself, Jack Nichols, in the wake of a horrific scene. Since I am the lead inspector for the tournament, courtesy of my, er, _brother_," He chuckles for a short moment, noting the irony of hiring himself for the job, "I would hold a private investigation, which would determine the death of Roger at the site of the Tower, as I haul away the Rhodium packed inside the now-accessible cavern. Tedd's unfortunate snowboarding empire would immediately fall into absolute disrepair, and I would walk away, with millions from the Rhodium in-hand, scot-free."

"And if something were to go wrong?" Griff randomly interjects.

"In the unlikely event, Mr. Simmons, of a fatal flaw revealing itself before this point in the plan, I would have simply let the tournament run it's course without detonating the explosives. After the event, I would then resign as C.E.O. of E.o.N. and live out the rest of my life as Roger Nichols. My mansion is too obscure to be of interest to anyone, so the murder of the true Roger Nichols would never come to light."

I think back for a moment, and quickly utter, "Wait a minute...if you were able to become Roger Nichols so easily, who didn't you just ditch the tournament idea, stay as the head of E.o.N., and excavate the metal like Roger had planned?"

"Because I couldn't run an energy company forever!" Jack shouts, "There were too many complications; passwords I didn't know, procedures I had never learned, I'm astonished myself that I've made it this far without anyone noticing." He turns back around to face the exit. "I'll admit, my plan was vastly overcomplicated from the start, but...none of that matters now." He twists back to face us. "I've passed the point of safe return, and I haven't made a single mistake as of late."

"Yeah, except for ONE," Mac dramatically states, quite simply out of nowhere, "Letting Luther run that Rock Shop near that abandoned hologram room! That sack of lubber taught Roxanne everything about the caverns!"

Jack squints at Mac, but it's my heart that bursting out of my chest. Why did I have to be put on the spot?

In my utmost misfortune, Jack's head turns to me. "Yes...early in the preliminary steps of starting the tournament, it did haunt me in the back of my mind that having Luther Dwayne-Grady, a newly trained rock specialist, so close to my hidden site." His countenance turns frightening once more as his eyes dart through mine. "Luther, however, had proven to be the LEAST of my worries. Isn't that right, Ms. Schultz?" He backs away from me, but he doesn't stop. "Like when YOU, Roxanne, broke into the cavern itself, and discovered its desirable contents?" He shifts his gaze at Zoe. "Or maybe when you and your klutzy friend Payne here knocked over a fireworks nozzle, revealing that metallic box in the snow, one that was erroneously placed a day early?"

Zoe ignores the threat, spouting, "KLUTZY?"

Jack is fully enraged now, spinning around to face Moby and Psymon. "And finally, in your pathetic little group's most FLAGRANT and SHAMELESS disregard for respect, you two BUFFOONS went as far as BREAKING INTO my mansion when no answer came to you at the door!" Stunned silence from everyone in the room. "Yeah, you'd all be amazed by what hidden cameras can pick up."

"And what, MURDER isn't any LESS respectful?" Moby loudly declares.

"OH, SHUT UP!" Jack hollers, his voice booming throughout the circular room and only dissipating out the single exit.

Despite everyone else's mixed feelings of fear, guilt, and uncertainty, I cannot help but feel puzzled. I had also gone down with Moby and Psymon to the mansion, but Jack didn't say anything to me. Why isn't he shouting at ME for that?

Teary-eyed, Kaori softly pleads, "Oh, please, Nichols-san, let us go. I mean, you don't plan to...KILL us, do you? We swear we won't tell anyone about anything!"

"Sorry, Ms. Nishidake," Jack says, his speech a little more subdued, "but a couple of broken promises are all that's needed to shut down everything I've worked SO HARD for. No...I've come too far to lose everything!"

"Now, HOLD ON A MINUTE," Viggo proclaims, "does this mean that there's no SSX race today?"

"Um, YES," Jack follows up, the irritation in his words matching the rest of ours as everyone else stares in contempt towards Viggo. There's no doubt to the fact that Viggo hasn't been paying attention to a single word that Jack has been saying this whole time.

"This is way messed up, Jack," Elise says, her hands clenched into tight fists.

"Well, life's messed up. Deal with it. It's exactly what I was told when I lost my esteemed status in the amusement park industry, and now, I get to pass the good luck onto all of you." Jack turns around to face the exit again, but this time, instead of standing still, he starts to walk out of the room. "I apologize to you all, but this is where I must take my leave." He faces back at us, standing on the opposite side of the doorway, as the two guards, constantly aiming their machine guns at us, follow him near the doorway. "And now, to bestow upon you snowboarders with a promise that **_I_ **can keep: NONE of you will EVER make it off of this mountain alive."

In that single phrase, the terrible shaking that I had suffered the night before came back, not as strong as before, but much more thorough, trapping me in a standstill. There's something in Jack's words that...come off as too certain to me. Like even if the impossible were to happen, that no matter what would occur, I wasn't going to survive, nonetheless.

"Oh," Jack adds as his face is about to disappear from the side of the doorway, while the guards prepare to shut the massive solid metal door that blocks the only exit out of the room. "One, final thing." As the guards begin to shift the door from it's position outside of the circular room on its powerful hinges, Jack, looking back into our room, utters a sentence in the coldest, most chilling voice possible:

"Congratulations on making it to the top ten in the _SSX Tournament Spectacular._"

Jack says no more, but the two guards burst into laughter as the final inches between the doorway and the thick, metal door diminish.

The massive sound of the door locking shut seals our fate.

END CHAPTER


	26. Ch XXVI: Who Am I

**Chapter XXVI: Who Am I**

* * *

><p>LOCKED...IT'S LOCKED...THE DOOR IS LOCKED...THE DOOR IS LOCKED AND THERE IS NO WAY OUT.<p>

I might have given up on prying open the solid metal, bank vault-like door that Jack's guards shut on us, but others weren't so quick to quit. As soon as the possibility of the guards using their machine gun weapons against us vanished, Allegra, Griff, Mac, Moby, and Elise bolted for the door and slammed themselves against it, attempting to push the door to open outwards. Unfortunately, they were too late; the door was already locked tight, and instead they simply piled up on each other like a group of bad guys on a cartoon show.

"Damn it, it's useless!" Elise utters, failing to budge the door out of its place. She looks back at the rest of us. "What about other openings in the room?"

I don't make much of an attempt to search the circular room, as I sit on my corner of the concrete bench that extends across the outside of the circumference of the room. But some who weren't already standing near the door stand up and do so, eyeing every square inch of the room's wall, ceiling, and floor.

"Up there!" Psymon exclaims, pointing to a small and rectangular grated plate, which must be some sort of air vent, that is positioned on the wall about six and a half feet above the concrete bench outcropping and a little more than two feet below the ceiling, on the opposite end of the door. Psymon jumps up onto the elevated bench and lifts himself up to eye level with the air vent, using the grated plate to lift himself up with his hands.

"You're kidding, right Psymon?" Allegra shouts, "That grate is WAY too small!"

Sadly, she's right. The plate must be no taller than six inches, and is only about a foot and a half long.

"Yeah, but, WAIT!" Psymon stares intently through the air vent opening. "It looks like there's another room at the far end of this vent!"

"Well then, it's just a DARN SHAME that I didn't bring my _PORTAL GUN_ with me today, huh?" Allegra interjects, fiercely implementing a sarcastic tone that resonates with the uselessness of another room being across the air vent if the vent itself is already too small to pass through.

Across from me, Zoe erratically sits down on a bench area, shuttering in agony. "Oh god...oh god oh god oh god..."

"Zoe, love?" Moby, attempting to reach Zoe, rests back onto the bench and slides next to her. "You don't look, um, very-"

"Oh, don't be like that, Moby!" She clamors, shoving Moby away from her. I see streaks in her eye shadow and black face paint. "This is ALL MY FAULT! I'm the reason why we ever ended up here in the first place! If I hadn't finished in 10th place above Ruby in the Cross Peak race...well, NOTHING would have happened!" Zoe, gazing at some unknown point below the surface of the floor and holding her head with her hands, shakes where she sits, fighting back the urge to break into a crying mess.

Elise, standing behind Psymon as he continues to peer into the vent, appeared almost as if she were glaring right at Zoe, but as she witnessed Zoe's battered-down state, her temper loosens. "Um...Zoe?" she carefully emits, "Maybe, you know, this really can't be..."

But Elise stops mid-thought, unable to pull together a sentence that could make all of this seem better than it does right now. For a while after, it's dead silent.

"Jack seemed like a crazy guy, huh?" Griff randomly states, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Psymon turns away from is captivation with the air vent to look at Griff.

Zoe looks up to address Griff. "Jack?" Zoe unleashes a short burst of laughter, but quickly stops, afraid that it might make her tear up. "Like, are you actually waiting for someone to ANSWER THAT?"

"No, I mean, obviously, crazy on some level, but...more than that. Like, certifiably sick."

Psymon steps off and sits down on the bench before saying, "What do you mean, sick? As in, 'crazy' sick?"

"I...I think so." Griff exchanges glances with the rest of us. "You see, back about a year ago, I got an interest in Psychology - I don't know, just something to take my mind off of the pressure, and sponsor attention - and I read a bunch of these large, boring books on the matter. I never got as far as taking a College class, though, I was way to busy for that."

"But what does that gotta do with Jack Nichols?" Mac asks.

"Well, everything, actually: the way he paced the room, twitched his face, bared his teeth, persistently blinked and grabbed at his hair...I mean, I don't know! It sounds stupid when I say it out loud...it's a bunch of normal, pretty much meaningless actions, but not to someone who might actually be a Psychologist or something. And from what I could identify, based on the small stuff I learned and read on my own, it links directly with someone who's, well, psycho." He turns to Elise. "When do you think we would have been escorted up here, you know, if we didn't come to the Tower this morning?"

"Well, soon, I'm sure..." Elise says, uncertainty looming in her voice. "Maybe around 1:00 or 2:00? Around an hour or two before people started getting seated in the audience booths around the mountain. Why?"

Griff stutters, "It just...it makes sense, okay? If we weren't on the mountain when, well, you know, the explosion would go off and ruin an awesome evening for tournament viewers at Hidden Summit and across the globe. Tedd Batty would try to find out what happened, and what in the heck would cause a whole mountain to spontaneously combust...that would be bad for Jack, right? But...what if we were DEAD? That would work a lot more in Jack's favor, since there'd be a lot of resentment against Tedd, especially with fans! I mean, between the ten of us alone, that must be tens of millions that would cry foul against SSX! Tedd would surely be forced to step down. Clearly, no sane person would be so...so unnecessarily cruel, but Jack, if I'm right about him being, um, well then he would..."

Griff's trying to find more to explain, but he loses his train of thought. But Viggo, who must have actually been listening for once, is the first to put Griff's statement together. "Now hold on, Griff, are you trying to say that we...that Jack was going to, um-"

"Actually, exactly that," Griff follows when Viggo fails to put together a question. Turning his attention to the rest of us, Griff states, "Guys...I think Jack might have been planning to kill us after all."

Yeah...Griff's notion is a massive mood-killer. Everyone else in the room hardly denies it, simply exchanging hopeless glances with others around the room. I not overly moved myself; at this point, such a fact...really doesn't matter anyways.

Actually, I'm more interested in what Zoe's reaction is to all of this, since she's handled this whole 'dying' thing the worst. However, to my surprise, Zoe simply shrugs her shoulders and says, "Oh well," before resting back on the wall with her arms around the back of her head.

Unfortunately for Zoe, Elise catches her comment from the corner of her ear. "'Oh well?'" Elise repeats, turning to look at Zoe. "This psychotic idiot has been planning to murder us this whole time, and all you can say is 'OH WELL?'"

"Meh," Zoe says rather nonchalantly, "I'm just sorta relieved that it wasn't my fault after all."

"But we're still going to DIE!"

"But at least WE KNOW!" Zoe shouts back, breathing heavily. "It's just...YEAH, it sucks, okay? I didn't put it in my day planner to have stuff end like this today, but...I think it's better that we're locked in here acknowledging it than if we were mindlessly traveling up here later not knowing about any of this at all!"

"Really?" Elise retorts, "And what makes you say that?"

"Well..." Zoe begins to reply, "maybe it...it gives us time to talk and, I don't know, maybe say something to each other?"

It's a weak reason, but it's easily the best that Zoe could have given. In fact, some snowboarders in the room begin to do just that.

"Oh, Mac-kun," Kaori sorrowfully states, "I...I wish we would have had more time together, these past few years. I...I don't want to..."

"Hey, it's okay, Kaori," Mac consoles, "I'm just glad we got back as good friends before this. Maybe if-"

"But Mac," she asks in a noticeably risible voice, but a tear riding down her cheek manages to negate it. "We are...more than 'good friends,' aren't we?" Mac smiles back at her, and they hug, in an oddly meaningful way that would make someone think that it would be the last time they'd ever see each other again.

Unfortunately, I'm completely left out any conversations that arise at this point, but mainly because these people have known each other much longer and have little to say to me. I decide to simply listen in and eavesdrop as I quietly sit on my area of the concrete bench.

Elise sighs. "This just freaking sucks," She says to Griff, who sits next to her. "Well, I guess it was good getting to know you kid; you were always the best boarder out on BIG Mountain that I can remember."

"Hey!" Griff states back, "I'm almost 21, Elise. I'm not a kid anymore."

"YEAH RIGHT," She replies derisively, shaking her hand through his shaggy yellow-blond hair, "Sorry Griff, but you'll ALWAYS be the 12-year-old talented sugar junkie in my mind."

Across from them, Psymon and Moby sit next to each other in close proximity. "Bit of a shame, huh?" Moby inquires, his comment directed at Psymon. "I mean, about the final race not happening. I sorta wanted to see which one of us would've pulled out on top."

"Like it was even going to...um, well, yeah," Psymon jumbles, at first sounding like he was about to taunt Moby, but he doesn't follow through. His gaze lowers to the floor. "There's just a lot of things that don't mean much anymore today."

At the opposite end of the room, directly under the air vent, I see Allegra, sitting next to Viggo, place her shoulder up against his. She speaks in a quiet, almost sultry, voice, but I can barely hear her among the rest of the people talking. "Hey Viggo," she says, twisting her body around to face him. "I know...this tournament was the first time in, like, a LONG time that we've been with each other again, but...these final few days?" She leans towards his ear and whispers, with a wry smile on her face, "Thanks for making them count."

I'm amazed that I can hear her, and I know that I SHOULDN'T be in the first place. It's all obviously a lot of personal stuff. If I recall, many of these people have been together since the very first SSX tour a whole decade ago. Even then, I still see Viggo turn to face Allegra, saying as he holds her by the sides of her upper arms, "No problem Allegra. You were always the most radical girl I ever knew. If I had to die with someone today, I'm glad it's with you."

"Aww," Zoe randomly exhales towards Viggo and Allegra, in possibly the sweetest, kind-hearted voice I've ever heard her use. "You lovebirds just make me want to throw up." Her last two words catch me completely off-guard, especially considering that she maintained her nice girl voice through the whole sentence. Suddenly she frowns. "Ah, look here; we're spending our last moments in this hole, right?"

"Don't worry, Zoe," Allegra insists, looking away from Viggo, "We did not forget to THANK YOU."

"ANYWAYS," Zoe exerts, attempting to out-voice Allegra's comment, "Let's cut the unnecessary last-minute lovey crap." She leans forward, snickering, "I wanna do something fun."

It's quite possibly the worst proposal that anyone could have brought up. In fact, Zoe's prior state of depression about being locked in here only makes her comment feel even more tacky. Then again, a personality reversal only seems to be the norm for Zoe.

Only Elise decides to grace the opinion with a question. "And whatever did you have in mind?"

Zoe sits back to think for a moment, but it's easy to see when she's got an idea when a smile creeps onto her face. "Last regrets."

"Last regrets?" Moby inquires. "What do you mean?"

"And very easy to play, too," She says, effectively ignoring Moby's question. "We keep going around from person to person until everyone states what they wish had been the case before, well, you know. Any takers?"

It's simple to see that no one really wants to play the game. After a short period of exchanged glances, Mac finally speaks up.

"Hmm...I wish that I...that I had gotten a little more into my music. I don't know, a lot of people once told me that I was a pretty solid DJ, and my rhymes weren't too bad, either. I almost considered, after the MTV tour, to quit snowboarding altogether and commit all my time into a music career." He sighs, peering down at the floor. "Would have been off much better, too. I don't think murderous lunatics blowing up mountains would have come into play whatsoever."

"Alright, alright!" Zoe comments, giving it her all to keep this questionable game alive. "Who's next?"

"Ugh, this is ridiculous..." Elise begins, but she stops before she can belittle Zoe. "Wait; I guess...there's one thing." She leans forward. "Before I heard of this tournament, I was supposed to be part of some fashion conference during this week. There was a clothing company - Forever 21, Hot Topic, hell if I cared - that wanted to have me part of a sponsorship. And I was totally gonna go, too, but then I got the invite for the _Tournament Spectacular_, so...I opted out."

Across from Elise, Allegra sinks into her seat. "I wish I didn't star in so many movies about zombies. After my abysmal failure in California, I was amazed that Hollywood decided to pick me up for a movie role. Sure, I met a bunch of awesome, famous people, but all I ever got to star in were frickin' zombie movies! Don't get me wrong, Zombie A-Go-Go was a box-office hit, but...none of you ever saw Zombie Prom Queen II, right? RIGHT?"

Immediately, everyone turns their faces away from Allegra. I never saw the movie myself, but I recall hearing from a passing snowboarder in Patagonia a year back that the movie won a LOT of Razzie Awards.

Next to Allegra, Viggo almost looks like he's about to cry, with tears welling in his eyes. "Oh man...I've got a terrible regret!" he interjects. "I wish...I wish I wasn't such a COWARD!"

"Coward?" Moby asks. "Um, Viggo, I'm sure we all have a lot of...a lot of different, colorful names and adjectives to describe you with. But 'coward' doesn't seem to ring true."

"That's because I've never shown it in public." Viggo continues, "None of you know it, but I was terrified by some of the courses at _Triple Peak_. Those Big Air events? The airtime was more than I could handle. Even in the past two days, I've had a hard time staying cool on the Peaks. But, my WORST offense? Well," He too leans forward, and speaks with a quieter voice, "I actually DID get an invitation to compete in the _SSX __Cali Tour_. I was so afraid that the tour's events would be even wilder than the last event's, I...I chickened out!" Viggo sighs, and leans his head back into the wall behind him. "From then on out I promised myself that I would never again back out of an SSX event."

"Wait, what?" Mac asks. "Now, I thought that the reason you didn't show for the MTV tour was because you got your tongue stuck to a frozen ski pole, and you had to get surgery because you ripped it off!"

"Oh, that?" Viggo laughs, "Well, I was really afraid that fans would start to think I was a coward for not being in the tour. The whole 'tongue surgery' thing was just something I told people so no one would make fun of me."

All chatter in the room grinds to a halt. Everyone shares the dumbstruck, speechless expression with Viggo's comment. If Viggo had even a shred of dignity of his own, it died just now.

"Well then," Griff says, trying to save the conversation, "I guess I have a regret. I wish I hadn't strayed so far from SSX." He looks down at his blue and black sweatshirt and dark red pants. The sleeves, leggings, and other areas of his clothing are covered in multiple sponsor logos. "After my success at BIG Mountain, I started pulling in sponsorships and merchandise deals like nobody's business. And...I never said no! All of a sudden, I got farther and farther away from the things about snowboarding I loved, and the friends that I knew. People no longer affiliated me with SSX. It's why I entered the _Tournament Spectacular _in the first place: to get back to where I started, and...to get back to knowing you guys again."

Griff's caring statement, which made a couple of snowboarders in the room smile, is rather ill-matched with another person's regret, with someone speaking, "I wish I had...died sooner."

I, along with others, look at Kaori, the owner of the statement, with startled faces. She follows, "Wait, nonono! That's not what I meant!" Kaori sits back and thinks for a few seconds. "I wish...that, I was...younger. Or, young again."

"Kaori," Mac pleads, trying to look into her face as she stares toward somewhere on the floor, "What do you mean by that?"

"Um..." Kaori rests back on the wall, Mac's arm cushioning her shoulders against it. "When I was a younger girl, maybe, 14 or 15 years old, I had everything I could have wanted. My dad owned a TV company, my brother Akira was on the Olympic Snowboarding team, and...well, I lived in Japan! I mean, literally, the one country in the world where everyone else is like, 'oh, I totally wish I could live in Japan,' and I was BORN there! Naturally, it only got better when I started competing with SSX in the _Snowboarder Tour_, after my brother was requested but couldn't show. Within only two years...wow..." She leans her head back, so that she'd be looking up. "I became the most popular icon in Japan."

She stops speaking, then, as if she's concerned that we weren't listening, Kaori sits up straight and continues, "No, literally - for those couple years, up until the fourth SSX tour, I had the WORLD. Fans all over the world adored me, I got to lend my voice to one of my dad's TV shows..." She breathes out a deep sigh. "They sold ACTION FIGURES of me, okay? And not only that, I got to be great friends with some of the coolest snowboarders on the planet."

Kaori glances over at Mac and smiles, before tears begin to drip from her eyes. She turns back to everyone else. "I pretty much lost everything after the _Cali Tour_, especially a lot of my popularity. And what for? Because my fans...they must have truly believed that I was going to stay as the same 18-year-old teenager for my entire life!" She grasps at her short, black hair, with the pink stripe down the middle. "Do you know how much guff I got for changing my HAIRSTYLE? For getting rid of my panda backpack, my clothing style, my..._personality_, of all things they complained about? I thought people were going to DIE if I didn't change back to my brown pigtails. I mean, come ON...I'm **26-years-old!** I was never going to be a teenager forever! I CHANGED! Why can't people accept me for how I am now?"

"Hey Kaori," Zoe says, looking somewhat guilty, "I'm...I need to apologize for what I said to you last night at Oggi's. You know, the whole 'grow up' thing? I guess...no, it DEFINITELY wasn't nice. At all."

Kaori wipes her nose with the back of her hand. "Apology accepted, Zoe-san. It makes me feel...a bit better now."

"Super," Zoe exclaims, then, after pausing for a moment, she starts to speak again. "You guys wanna know what my last regret is?" She leans forward in her seat. "Well - and to be honest, it's going to make me sound like a total douche at first, but - I sort of wish my mom DIED before I left for this tournament, you know? No, of course you guys don't...see, my mom has been recovering from chemo that she received about two weeks ago, and although she's very weak, she's expected to make a full recovery, no complications or anything! But now?" She laughs to herself. "When she hears about all of this, the news of what's happened to us, it's going to do more than just kill her!"

Griff, who has started to look at me, asks in an uneasy voice, "Um...Roxanne? Are you...gonna be okay?"

I want to carefully answer Griff, tell him that absolutely nothing is wrong with me, but I've already jumped off of my seat and sprinted for the locked steel door. I've done nothing this entire time since the door was locked, sitting still on my ledge of concrete bench, but Zoe's regret about her mom...there's no time for me to counteract. I pound my hands on the solid barrier, screaming, "LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!"

It's not long before Moby and Elise are trying to grapple me away from the door, possibly in alarmed concern, but I push them both away with surprising strength. I continue to bruise my bare hands against the cold metal, tears racing down my cheeks, as I persist my screams in agony.

"Roxanne!" Elise shouts, wiping blood from her nose (perhaps I pushed her back a bit too hard). I see her from the corner of my eye stop herself from trying to stop me with force. She decides reason with me instead. "Roxanne, what in the hell is wrong with you?"

Without delaying my offensive on the locked door, I hurriedly shout back, "OUT! I HAVE to get out of here! I...I can't..." I break my attention from Elise and concentrate solely on the door. "LET! ME! OUT!"

I slam the palms of my hands against the door one last time before my legs and feet give way from underneath. With my face planted firmly against the metal, my upper body slowly descends to the floor. At the bottom, I cover my face with my arms as I lay facedown, a river of tears streaming down the skin of my elbows.

I'm not able to say for sure, but most of room is pretty quiet, obviously disturbed with my behavior, except for a few people, who promptly begin to yell at me as I cry on the floor.

"God, what is the MATTER with you?" Zoe comments, half concerned with me and half laughing at me with her question.

"Go Away!" I reply, but, noticing how the whole 'going away' thing really isn't possible, I shout, "Leave me alone!"

Griff stands up, saying, "Well SOMETHING'S gotta be the matter; I've never seen anyone break out into some crazy state like that before."

"Do you want to talk about it, Roxanne-san?" Kaori says, truly concerned.

"What?" I state, looking back at Kaori. "I mean - NO!" I bury my face back into my arms. "I said leave me alone!"

Elise growls, "AUGH, are you kidding me, Roxanne? You can't ignore us forever!"

I sit upright, my back resting against the metal door, and I close my eyes and cover my ears with my hands. "No! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!"

More and more retaliation follows, and soon everyone is trying to get a response from me. I keep my hands on my ears and my eyes closed, no matter how loud it gets in the circular room. After a short while, Allegra, who seems fed up with me just as everyone else, stands up from her seat on the bench in the back of the room and shout out, "WHO ARE YOU?"

I don't know why, but the question makes me open my eyes, and almost make me feel like I've forgotten where I am. I look up at Allegra, and everyone else in the room stops yelling at me. In a matter of seconds the room becomes so silent you could hear a pin drop.

I break the silence, asking back, "Who...who am I?"

Allegra takes a few steps forward to the middle of the room. "I know...pretty much everyone in this room." She glances to her right and her left, sharing a glance with the others in the room. "Most of you from the _Triple Peak Tour_, especially since we were all together during the tour, and," She glances over at Mac, and nods, "some of you longer than others." The encroaching smile on her face vanishes as her eyes dart back at mine. "But YOU; you, Roxanne...I got to meet you for that fraction of a second in Eddie's Tricky Store, when he inappropriately swiped my book before I stormed out of the store." The anger in her voice raises. "And that's it! Why, it must have been, LITERALLY, the first time I had ever seen you before. And YET, the whole mountain range is buzzing about your, 'superior skill and talent.'" Allegra mockingly waves her hands in the air. "If you're so incredible at this sport, why here and now?"

"I've told you before, Allegra," I utter, wiping the tears from around my nose as I stand up, "I've told everyone before. I...I had always been a backcountry, off-League-"

"Off-League NOTHING!" Allegra interrupts. "Yes, I'm sure we've all heard how you competed in Off-League events for many years. But NO ONE in their RIGHT MIND with the talent that you've showcased would choose the off-League over the less dangerous, more rewarding League events! I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe it for ONE SECOND!"

Great. Everyone in the room is looking at me for a satisfying answer, an answer that I absolutely cannot supply. I retort, "Oh, who cares? It none of your business anyways!"

"Oh, that's where you're wrong, Roxanne," Allegra says, her eyes widening, "The moment you broke out into complete madness, or, WHATEVER that was, it became EVERYONE'S business." She walks forward, advancing on me. "Now, you mind telling us what's REALLY going on?"

I look back into Allegra's eyes, as if I'm searching for a reply that would make everyone stop caring about me and what's going on, just for these last, final hours of my life. But no such reply exists. In a last-ditch effort to lose attention to myself, I crouch down, still standing with my back still leaning against the door, and cover my ears back up with my hands.

This makes Allegra absolutely furious. With nothing else to do, she goes back to yelling at me just a yard away from my face.

"OH, no you DON'T! Roxanne, listen to me!" I stare at the ground below trying to avoid contact with Allegra. "Roxanne! Roxanne! ROXANNE!"

Behind her, Viggo grabs her shoulders, saying, "Um, Allegra, you shouldn't-"

"NO!" Allegra shouts, ignoring Viggo's plea. She persists with shouting my name. "Roxanne!"

I just can't take this anymore.

"Roxanne!"

Viggo is trying to pull her away with no such luck.

"Roxanne!"

I can't...I can't...

"ROXANNE!"

And I snap. I jolt my head up, stand up straight, look Allegra in the eyes, and scream.

"**STOP CALLING ME THAT!**"

The words ring on and on throughout the room. Allegra almost shouts again, but she doesn't. She simply stares back at me, with an agonizingly puzzling expression taking over her face. I look around the room. Everyone, Kaori, Mac, Viggo, Elise, Moby, Griff, Psymon, and Zoe, share the same confused, horrified countenance.

And that's when I realize what I had just said.

_"Uh oh..." _I think to myself, clasping my open mouth with my hands as I amble backwards into the door. "_I didn't...I didn't just, SAY that, did I?"_

"Okay," Zoe calmly states, "what, is THAT supposed to mean?"

I shift my eyes back and forth, desperately searching for a way out of the room that doesn't involve the locked steel door. But the only possibility that remains is the tiny air duct at the far end of the room.

Four years. Four years it's a complete secret. At least secret enough to keep moving on. And, in the waning moments of my life, I let it all escape.

Elise stands up and, in a single swoop, pushes Allegra out of her way and into the back of the room. Once again I start to silently cry, the tears finding familiar paths down my face, and I crouch down all the way to the floor, my legs concealing my chest.

With a much more restrained voice than anyone else in the room has had, Elise talks to me, kneeling on the floor.

"Alright, Rox, we don't know what's going on. And Allegra is in the wrong; it's none of our business, even at this place and time." She glares back at Allegra, who mirrors back with contempt. Elise sighs, and stands up. "But if anything, we're...I mean, we still gotta be friends, right? Maybe we haven't known you for a long time, but...I consider you one." I look up at Elise, seeing the strained expression in her eyes. She's certainly not great at speeches like this, but it makes me feel a bit better. "If you DID owe us back anything, in this, unfortunate situation, it's an explanation. Whatever's bothering you is clearly hurting you a lot. There must be something that I, or any of us, can do to help."

I want to run from this, but...she's right. I owe them all an explanation. No; I owe them everything. If I'm ever going to end this, this...responsibility, it's here and now.

I stand up from the doorway, and walk over to an empty spot on the concrete bench. I sit down, keeping my stare towards the floor. "Fine." I raise my head up. "You all want an explanation, don't you?" My voice reads off as indifferent at first, but I break into a sadness-driven speech as I continue to speak. "Well? I'll give you one. But...I have to say..." I look around the room, sharing eye contact with everyone. Kaori looks like she's going to break into tears any minute. Everyone else is simply listening intently, wanting to understand.

"It's sort of a long story."

END CHAPTER


	27. Ch XXVII: Who I Am

**Chapter XXVII: Who I Am**

* * *

><p>"I NEVER WANTED TO BE A SNOWBOARDER. SURPRISING, RIGHT?<p>

"Oh, of COURSE not to you guys. For all any of you know, I most likely came out of my mom's stomach with snowboard bindings attached to my feet! And I really can't blame any of you...for the last 3 days I've been misleading you all on the type of person I am, my talents, where my priorities lie, my..._feelings, _and whatever. But enough is enough; I've kept myself in my own pathetic charade for too long, and no more do I wish to keep my life a secret.

"Well...first off, I had an ENTIRELY different sport in mind. What I REALLY wanted to be was...a cheerleader! A high school cheerleader, to be more precise. That way - and by 5th grade, I literally had my future down to a "_T_" - I could be super popular with all of the students at school AND have a hot boyfriend, while still doing my best to keep up grades, graduate, and get into a good college. It's laughable now, I'll admit, but none of you truly understand...for a short period of my life, that future was MINE...more than anyone else's.

"And it wasn't going to be hard, either. All the way through preschool and into the beginning of 7th grade, I was the most popular girl in my class. One of the more popular in the whole town, if I can say. Lake Havasu City isn't the largest area in Arizona, but I grew up there. I think most of my ability to excel on the social ladder was my background; my mother was a successful anesthesiologist, so my family was super wealthy. I could buy ANYTHING I had my eyes set on: clothing, presents, food...and hair dye. Yes, I...I always had my hair dyed a blue color, back when I was in middle school; it was a really huge interest of mine back then to periodically dye my hair different shades of blue, and my peers would always find my hair an interesting factor of my personality as well. I remember being invited to every birthday party, summer get-together or movie night, whenever there was one, and I had, like, a THOUSAND friends on Facebook. Those were the best years of my life, and I was positive that absolutely nothing would ever go wrong.

"Wait...no, everything DID go wrong. Almost five years ago in November, only a month after my 13th birthday, my entire life collapsed around me. It started when there was a terrible incident at the hospital where my mom worked, and many people, including her, were laid off. She tried getting another job, but nothing she could find would be able to meet the payment on our large house. Within weeks, we had to downsize to a smaller space. Then, my younger sister caught this terrible virus - the name of it escapes me - but it was so fatal that it would've killed her if she didn't receive treatment. Unfortunately, since my mom no longer worked for the hospital, she had a difficult time paying for the care to make her better. A lot more went wrong that during the last months of that year: our car was stolen, a powerful rainstorm broke appliances in our new house, and more and more jobs slipped through my mom's fingers.

"Finally, it reached its worse. At some point, my mom just...stopped caring. It was almost like she broke down and died inside. She stopped looking for jobs, buying groceries...she wouldn't even get UP in the morning. I would never blame her...it was so unfair what had happened to our family. I couldn't tell how my siblings were holding up, but...I was thoroughly devastated.

"I knew I had to take charge. By the beginning of the new year, I was looking for jobs outside of school. I forged work permits, lied about my age, wore wigs to cover my blue hair...I even started avoiding my friends, who were noticeably becoming concerned with my new behavior. I had to pay for everything with the money I could earn for a solid month, and it was hardly enough. Almost immediately I had to stop buying new clothing, stop treating people from school with extravagant things to win them over...in the long run, I even had to stop dying my hair, letting it fade into my natural black. It became more and more difficult to hide my identity around the city. I did my best to quit jobs before I could be found out, or hide from those I knew walking into restaurants or shopping stores where I temporarily worked. My grades were failing, people stopped talking to me, another downsizing landed us in a beat-up apartment in...oh, I HATE listing my problems! Either way, my assured future reality, my whole life in front of me...it was gone in a matter of months.

"Obviously...something, HAPPENED, right? Why would I be here telling you all my story? Well, around March the following year, the situation at home and for me around the city was getting exponentially worse. My mom began to search for employment again, but we still struggled to pay for everything, and I had next to no luck finding a job that I could stick to, even for an entire afternoon. A new place, however, opened behind The Shops at Lake Havasu outdoor mall at the far end of the city. It was a massive enclosed structure, called 'Indoor Snow World,' that you could snowboard or ski in, with artificial snow, a mountain terrain, and even a chair lift! To me, it was another opportunity to stretch my age by five years and earn some cash, but it quickly...well, the opportunity became something else.

"Like most of the other employees, I was given a snowboard and a vest to patrol the artificial valley and maintain safety, just until the company could find more licensed lifeguards for the mountain. I can't remember actually WORKING, but...riding on that cheap snowboard changed my life. The, the _experience _of carving around that snow, twisting and turning on the small slopes, jumping off of a ramp and free falling, even for one second...I don't know why I was so affected by the place. Snowboarding...it came so naturally to me, like some innate ability that I missed my chance to learn in infancy, as if it would have been as vital as walking or breathing. I recall that one of the employees, who was a more experienced rider, was betting money, challenging others to a trick-off in one of the half pipe areas. Haha...it was almost sad how easily I beat him.

"That day, I knew that I had to look into this snowboarding stuff. I wasn't at all thinking about an actual sport career, but I knew I had to be open for anything. I went to a library and used the internet to look up something about SSX, since someone at the indoor snow park had mentioned the name to me. Almost immediately, I discovered that SSX was going to be my final answer to everything in my life. The backcountry events, the off-League, and the _money_...it all appealed to me, so I...I..."

"No," Allegra interjects, standing up to interrupt me. "You, you didn't actu-"

"I HAD NO CHOICE!" I shriek back, more tears exiting my watery eyes. "I couldn't get hired by ANYONE in Havasu for too long of a time, as if anyone in my neighborhood would believe that I was over sixteen. Following a career in snowboarding seemed like the only way that I could continue supporting my family. But I knew that my mom, let alone the SSX League, would never let me in, not that easily, of course. I read that some snowboarders before had begun riding for SSX younger than I was, but rules had changed, and I wouldn't have been able to rise high enough in the League for anything to make a difference.

"The off-League was different. You register for an event, compete, and if you place high enough, you win a lucrative money prize in the end. It was more dangerous, of course, it was rare for me to go through a month without a rider or two perishing during the event, but the payoff became worth the risk. I knew that if I could get myself registered in off-League events, fake my identity once more, I would have a CHANCE, if anything at all. But no one could know about me, know the truth, know who and where and how and the whole nine yards! So...I ran away and didn't look back.

"I never even said goodbye to my mom before I left town. I knew she'd think I'd been kidnapped, or at least missing, at first...but I made SURE that I wouldn't be recognized, so any Missing Children Agencies, or whoever would be looking for me, wouldn't find me out. I changed everything about me...my hairstyle, my habits, my outfits, even my OWN NAME..." I find it physically impossible to keep talking at this point. I bend over, clutching at my stomach, but perhaps only in my mind do I feel like I'm eating myself from the inside. I remember the words of the man in the tuxedo suit from the motel after Belukha...

_Am I right Roxanne...why that reminds me...did you know that the use of a false identity is an infraction of registration?_

Never before had I ever mentioned this secret of mine, why, let alone that practically no one had ever suspected. And now? I've let nine complete strangers know everything about my past.

"And...and that's it. And for four agonizing years, I've limited myself to competing in the off-League events, sending back any prize money I didn't keep to sustain myself back to the address and family I left behind..." My head hangs below my shoulders, using my hands to prop myself up. "Everyday, I wonder if...if my decision to leave everything behind is making a difference, or perhaps something else terrible happened back home years ago and now I'll never know."

I look up. Everyone just...gazes back at me, with expressions ranging from simple sympathy to complete desolation. Kaori seems to the most despondent of the group, which I wouldn't doubt. I've probably spent the most time with her and Mac during the tournament.

"Roxanne..." Griff states, trying to sound as consoling as possible, "We...I had no idea..."

"I'm sure no one did, Griff," Moby says, "It's just...just not fair at all."

Of course, only Allegra would ask a question. "But, hang on...so, does this mean, um, 'Roxanne Schultz,' is...is an alias? If that's not your real name, then-"

"ALLEGRA," Elise loudly remarks, "Now...now's not the time for, um...for you to start talking again." Allegra glares at Elise with utter contempt, but she doesn't fight back. Elise turns back towards me. "But you never went back home? Not even for a day?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" I reply, trying my best to keep calm, "I mean, sometimes, I thought about it. Only for a little while, to make sure nothing was wrong, but then...then I'd go weeks without winning anything to send back, or plane ticket prices were too expensive, and it was already hard enough to travel around Europe and other continents for the next SSX event..." I can't think of anything else to say, but suddenly I remember the person who had set me off in the first place, and I turn to Zoe, infuriated.

"Now Rox..." Zoe lightly states, afraid of what I might say next, "um, let's keep in mind that I'm not the one-"

"YOU!" I angrily interject, "So, you still want to know MY last regret is?" I stand up and point at Zoe, accursedly. "You know, like how YOU wished that YOUR mother was DEAD?"

Zoe stands up to retaliate. "HEY! I had NO FREAKING CLUE that you'd have this entire-"

"I'LL TELL YOU!" I shout back, cutting Zoe off from her rant. She tries to shout something back at me, but eventually she sits back down. I too rest back on the concrete bench, my eyes boring into the floor below. "Leaving...and...coming here. And doing all of this. That's what I regret. If I had the chance to go back in time and STOP myself, I wouldn't think twice. I regret ever running away from home and changing who I was, and becoming something I was never meant to be." I look back up, no longer trying to suppress the tears in my eyes. "Oh...I wish I never became who I am today."

And that's the end of it. At this point, I half expect everyone to be silent the rest of the remainder of our time in this room until someone, may it be Jack or whoever controls the explosives, decides to detonate Peak Three, killing us and anyone unfortunate enough to get caught in the aftermath of the explosion. I think about Ash, sitting in that coffee house that we were planning to meet up at after the race as a wall of snow from an avalanche crashes through a window and crushes him. I hope he's far away from here, but I know that he must be working to get ready to be my lookout for the race...

In fact, I am more than positive of this happening, the deafening silence until our untimely demise, until, out of nowhere, one person decides to speak up and say:

"You know what, Roxy? I wish I never changed either."

Everyone, including myself, turns towards Psymon, the owner of the announcement. I'm somewhat confused...is Psymon merely sympathizing with me, or is he going on about a last regret of his own?

"Um, NO," Allegra persists, attempting to quell whatever Psymon might have to say next. "I'm sorry, but we're not still playing this stupid 'last regret' game, are we?"

"Well I think it's HIGH TIME that I got my own turn!" Psymon bellows, but with a eerily distinguishable tint of...is that anguish in his voice? "Just about everyone else got to go, even Roxanne here got her own tear-jerking spiel...and am _I _not allowed to regret something?"

Allegra sighs, possibly just exhausted with everything else that's gone on in the room. Mac decides to step in, asking, "Well uh...what do you regret, Psymon?"

Psymon, looking the most sane that I've ever seen him during the tournament, looks down at the ground and sighs, saying, "Eight years ago...I, was scariest, FREAKIEST, most INSANE snowboarder, in all of SSX."

I gaze back up, because all of a sudden I'm lost in my own interpretation of Psymon's remark. He's speaking with sincere remorse, but..._what_ did he say?

He continues on, "Back when I started on the _Tricky Tour_, no one would dare speak to me, let alone come within ten FEET of me, because I looked so damn psychotic. People called me crazy - correctly, of course - but...oh, the FANS couldn't get enough of me. I scream at a crowd, they scream back; I burp in front of a group of chicks, they swoon. And - definitely best of all - I so much as GLANCE at Kaori as we're boarding down the mountain during an event, and she lets out some pathetic high-pitched squeal and falls flat on her face in the snow."

Kaori, whom I see reacting to Psymon's comment about her, looks like she's about to fight back at his word. Once she notices the obvious cloud of depression surrounding Psymon, however, she decides to soften her response. "I...I do have to admit, Psymon. You really were really scary back then."

Psymon gives a short grin, but quickly returns to a frown. "Yeah, _back then_...if it wasn't for me trying to change my appearance during the fourth tour - you guys know, with the red mohawk and everything?" Around me I see some of the riders nodding in remembrance, but seemingly halfheartedly, almost as if the memory was less than desirable to recall. "Well...just look where I am now." He pauses for a short while before restarting on a tangent. "You know what kind of adjectives I've been reading in SSX pamphlets that give my description? 'Focused,' 'resourceful,' 'surreptitious'...what the HELL does that even mean? What happened to 'dangerous,' or, 'freaky,' or, 'unpleasant to BE around?' THAT'S who I'm supposed to be!" Realizing that he's somewhat screaming at us, he lowers his voice. "I remember when I could just...just STAND in front of a little baby, and it would start crying its eyeballs out. Now? I gotta do this whole scaring routine, just to get 'em to whimper."

I'm looking at Psymon, then at everyone else, thinking, "_He CAN'T be SERIOUS!_" but it's hard to deny; Psymon is riddled with despair, and most of the other boarders seem to feel sympathy towards him. Slowly, Psymon stands up from his seat on the far end of the room and drags his feet toward the solid metal door, resting his fists on the door's cold surface.

"If I could get one chance, just ONE MORE CHANCE, of being out there, I'd fix everything. I'd go back to my roots, go back to being the glorious psycho that fans loved me for." He bangs his fists against the door. "If only I could GET OUT of here, I really, really would. Without a moment's hesitation!" He bangs the door again. "I'd get out of here, and PROVE to the world, that PSYMON STARK is far from..." In what strikes me, and surely anyone else looking at him, as curious, Psymon completely trails off from his speech and stops speaking altogether. In fact, his attention has been completely diverted to one thing: the metal door in front of him, the only exit out of this circular room.

Psymon begins to pound at the door again, although not as forceful, and almost in a rhythmic pattern. He bends lower toward the ground, feeling the sides of the door, which must be air-locked tight. The thought occurs to me: does he know how to open the door, like how he knew how to get us into Jack's house through the window without setting off the alarm? The positive thought instantaneously subsides, unfortunately; Psymon doesn't have any of his special tools that he used to open the window, let alone any that would crack open a massive bank-safe door.

In fact, after about 15 seconds of messing around with the door, Psymon gives up, turning around and walking in the direction of the back of the room. As he looks like he's about to sit down, however, he does something completely different...

...for Psymon turns back around and lets out a POWERFUL scream as sprints forward, _RAMS _HEADFIRST _INTO_ THE SOLID METAL DOOR, and _**KNOCKS THE HEAVY METAL MASS FROM ITS HINGES AND INTO THE HALLWAY OUTSIDE THE ROOM!**_

Like an overwhelmed audience preparing for a standing ovation, the rest of us in the circular room spring out of our seats on the concrete bench, absolutely astounded by Psymon's spectacular endeavor. It isn't too hard to grasp what's possible now; the previously barricading metal door, the only possible way out of our prison-like room, now lies on the floor of the hallway outside. Psymon, rubbing his forehead (which I'm amazed hasn't been crushed into his skull), walks abnormally back into the room, doing his best to maintain his balance.

"OY, you MAD?" Moby blurts. "Any normal person should have been KILLED by what you just did!"

"Any...normal person, you say?" Psymon replies. A wide smile appears on his face as he shouts, "Oh yeah...I'm BACK, BABY!"

Zoe stumbles forward towards Psymon. "Sketchy...do you have ANY IDEA what this means?"

"Hell yeah, I do," Psymon answers back, "The crazy inside me never disappeared...I've been the same old me all along! Now, NOTHING will stop me from being the most-"

"**NNNNNOOOOO**!" Zoe screams back, irritated. "That door's been blocking our only exit, and you just OBLITERATED it! It MEANS that we can GET THE HECK OFF OF THIS PEAK, before it's TOO LATE!"

"Yeah!" Elise beams, racing for the open doorway. "Who knows how much time we've got left? The sooner out of here, the better!"

Very soon, everyone else is cheering for Psymon, who proudly says, "No problemo, guys!" He turns around and takes a step forward toward the hallway. "We'll be out of this evil fortress in no..." In what must be some form of irony, Psymon abruptly stops talking and falls down, landing flat on his face. Looks like good old Psymon couldn't hold out long enough before he passed out.

"Oh, GREAT..." Elise sighs, grasping her lower forehead. "Just what we needed. Well, we better wake him up before we hightail it." Kaori, Mac, and Griff help Elise pick up Psymon, walk to the middle of the circular room, and position him on the ground.

As everyone else attempts to revive the unconscious Psymon, I can't help but walk towards the exit and stare at the metal door, which lies on the floor of the hallway. Even a minute after the fact I STILL cannot believe that the door is out of the way. I can get out of this accursed tower, get off this mountain...

_And...perhaps go back home?_

The thought is hard to quarantine in the back of my mind. Suddenly this unexplainable warmth rushes through my body, as what was the most impossible thing in the world only one minute ago, seeing my family again, has become more probable now than ever before. Even the most bone-chilling and deadly moments out on the slopes in the off-League didn't scare me back to Arizona. Being locked in this room has changed my perspective completely. After all, my death was rather set in stone.

There is no second option this time...when I get out of Hidden Summit, I'm heading home. Period.

I look back on the group, unsuccessful in waking up Psymon as he continues to lie on the floor. Maybe...it wouldn't matter much if leave the room now? I can't recall the way out of this building and back into the hangar where we stored our boards, backpacks, and other equipment, but if I can go on ahead early and search for the pathway out - the guards inside this peak tower should be long gone around now, given that the building is blowing up and all - I'll come back with directions, and when Psymon's awake, we'll be off of this mountain in no time!

Finally, I decide that I can't wait. Peering into the hallway outside the room, I lift my foot up, take a step outside of the circular room, and, and...

...

I...I can't do it.

The back of my spine freezes up as I retreat back into the room. I don't get it...I have more reason to want out of this building more than any of the others here; why am I so afraid? I don't get irrational fear like this, EVER, unless...well, unless my subconscious knows something that I don't. I try and think back on the past few days...what would cause me to second-guess about escaping this room, let alone the certain death that comes with staying in it?

And then I remember the words of Jack Nichols, before he walked out of the room...

_"And now, to leave you boarders with a promise that_** I **_can keep: NONE of you will EVER make it off of this mountain alive."_

I recollect the harrowing thoughts I had following his statement, that we were officially doomed to die today. And yeah, clearly Jack would have second thoughts on what to say if he were to see us now, the solid vault-like door lying on the hallway floor, but for some reason, my thoughts on Jack's belief hardly stray. I know that Jack wasn't just spouting confidence...

...he was stating pure fact.

"WHOA!" Psymon unexpectedly gasps. I turn around, seeing Psymon now sitting straight up among a crowd of snowboarders. Realizing his surroundings, he asks, "Wait, did I just-"

"Yes you did," Elise quickly answers.

"And it was pretty funny, too," Zoe tauntingly adds. Behind her, Allegra swiftly hits her in the back of the head. "HEY!" Zoe spins around to face her. "That was UNCALLED for!"

"There's no time for your stupid jokes, Payne," Allegra replies as others help Psymon up to his feet. "Why don't we settle all of this when we're MILES away from this place!"

"I like that idea," Viggo comments. Soon everyone else is set on getting the heck out this building as they all help guide Psymon towards the open doorway.

But they cannot leave. For I - in an action that is both involuntary and once again completely irrational - grasp both doorjambs with my hands, forming a new barrier that blocks the group from exiting the room.

Moby chuckles, not noticing my severely distressed countenance. "Alright, love, very funny...now lets, uh, get out of the way now!" He gestures his hands to his side, thinking that the motion will lure me away from blocking the only exit. I refuse to budge.

"NO! We...we can't leave yet! We CAN'T!" I strongly vocalize. But this is when I painstakingly realize that I'm in the way of nine pro snowboarders - most of them being a good foot higher over my 5'2" stature - of getting out of this circular room and escaping a promised death sentence.

"*AUGH,*" Elise sighs again, grasping for the root of her nose. "You know what? On any other day, I would've pushed you aside, without hesitation. But...for YOU, Roxanne, what could POSSIBLY be happening, RIGHT NOW, that is MORE IMPORTANT than getting out of here alive!"

"Um, I..." I search my thoughts for a solid answer, but nothing surfaces. "I'm thinking that, um...I'm thinking that this isn't over. That...Jack will know that we're escaping."

Most of the people in front of me groan and roll their eyes, except for one. Kaori asks, "Do...do you really think so?"

"SAY WHA?" Mac objects, looking at Kaori. "Come on now, Kaori, we can't give into-"

"NO, Mac!" Kaori shouts back, raising her voice. "This is IMPORTANT! We finally have a chance to make it out of this deathtrap. I don't want to risk any chances! What if Jack DOES know we've made out?"

"_HOW_ would he know?" Zoe retorts. "Because I'm pretty sure he's sitting in a high chair somewhere thinking 'checkmate' to himself! To him, he's already rich, and we're already dead!"

Viggo joins into the fray. "That's a plus for us, sure, but what about getting out of this building undetected? Every ski resort control center that I've visited is generally equipped with an extensive set of security cameras. Maybe that's how they found me and Roxanne in the first place!"

A good conjecture, but as far as I know, it's incorrect. I distinctly remember the hallways being bare of any noticeable protrusions in the walls, unless the security cameras were built into the lights or something. It also wouldn't explain how the armed guards found us on the catwalk in the main control room, our area being rather concealed by chains.

"Okay, okay, let's...backtrack, just for a second." Allegra states, sitting back down on the concrete bench that stretches across the room's curved wall. "I want to get out as much as the rest of you, but we really should consider this, at least the basics. Is there anything that we would do on our way to the hangar and down the mountain that would tip us off to Jack?"

Everyone else is reluctant, but eventually we're all sitting back down on the bench - a sight that must be maddeningly strange, with the fact that the locked door is no longer an obstacle - as others begin to discuss what would reveal that we've escaped the room. I myself begin to think more on the matter, trying to focus on how he would know where we are and less on the statement of him promising that we would die.

Actually...how did he know I was inside the Rhodium cave in the first place? I'm not sure how the thought comes to me when I'm supposed to be thinking of how he'd see us on our way out to Hidden Summit, but I immediately obsess over the information, especially since Jack had yelled at me for finding the cavern. The area never showed up on the hologram map in Luther's secret room, and the fact that Ash had lost radio contact with me before I reached the Rhodium cave further confirms my belief that no one in the tournament would have ever known that I was in that cave. Wouldn't have Atomika asked me why I had taken so long in the Peak Three tunnels, especially since I had STOPPED halfway through?

Even more so, in what strikes me the most odd of all, how would Jack know that Psymon and Moby were near his mansion, and yet have absolutely no recollection of ME being in his house? After all, Psymon never even stepped _foot _into the mansion. If there were any cameras inside his mansion or outside the front walkway, Jack would have never even SEEN Psymon, AT ALL, because even if a camera was set in front of the house, it STILL wouldn't have mattered, since Psymon was standing IN THE SNOW in front of the house before we looked for a window! And after all of that, he STILL didn't see ME? What in the HELL did I differently that night that he wouldn't have-

...

...

...

Oh no. Oh, _God_, no.

I cannot comprehend how the small, small idea creeps into my mind, but in an intense rush of memories and instances and putting two and two together, I realize the truth. A truth, clearer than freaking crystal, as to why it's all possible. As a matter of fact, I DID do something different that night after dinner at Oggi's. And now, everyone in this room and I are all doing exactly the opposite of what I did that night.

If there was even a shadow of doubt in my mind, I wouldn't think any of it is true, but no; absolutely EVERYTHING makes sense now...why he would know that Moby and Psymon were at his mansion, but not me...how he would know that I was in the Rhodium cave, despite the area not showing up on a hologram map...how the Peak Three tower guards located us inside the hallways so quickly, even in the absence of security cameras...

...why some things are required by tournament rule to wear on the mountains.

"Roxanne?" Griff worryingly inquires, possibly afraid that I was going to break down again. "Are...are you okay?"

Soon everyone is looking at me, wondering the same thing. I see that they're all waiting for me to reply as I stare back with a shocked expression, possibly looking like I'm going to completely break down. I don't speak back.

Instead, I answer by unbuttoning my white riding shirt and tearing away the skin-colored sheath on my chest, revealing my Life Support suit beneath.

END CHAPTER


	28. Ch XXVIII: All Going Down

**Chapter XXVIII: All Going Down**

* * *

><p>PERHAPS I SHOULDN'T HAVE EXPECTED THE OTHERS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT I MEANT BY MY ANSWER.<p>

Elise is the first to comment on my action of removing my shirt and the skin-like sheath that concealed my protection suit underneath. "Wow, that...that's your, um, Life Support Suit, right there. It's great to know that you're-"

"NO! Don't you guys get it?" I plead back. "It's THIS! The Life Support Suit HAS to be the reason!"

"The reason for what?" Mac asks. "You mean, for how he'd know that we'd leave the room?"

"Exactly!" I say. "There MUST be hidden tracking devices in the Suits or something!"

Allegra pipes up. "No way Roxanne, or um, WHOEVER you are! It's just not possible. What would even make you think this?"

"Remember when Jack had complained that Psymon and Moby were down at his mansion, but NOT me?" I implore.

"Yeah, I remember that..." Psymon declares. "What was up with that anyways?"

"What's up?" I reply. "It's because last night, when we went down there, I WASN'T WEARING A SUPPORT SUIT! You two, on the other hand, hadn't changed out of your racing outfits from earlier that day!"

"Oh, COME ON, that HARDLY proves your point!" Allegra retorts, although the astounded expressions on the others in the room show that the possibility is more than likely to them. "You...you can't think of anything else that would make more sense?"

I decide to ignore Allegra altogether now, and turn to Elise for help. "Elise, don't you remember what Brodi had said, in his gear shop? How it was a tournament rule or something to wear the Suit at all times?"

"Oh yeah!" Kaori states, blocking off anything that Elise might have added. "It's a tournament policy, to keep one on if you're ever on the peak mountains! Gosh, putting tracking chips on our protective suits? I mean, if that were true, it would be like they would want to, to..."

When Kaori finds it difficult to continue with the though, Moby finishes it for her. "It's like they would want to know if we were near something they didn't want us to see."

It's a very far-off observation, but it helps make more and more sense to the others of what I am absolutely positive is true. Griff joins in, saying, "Alright...so, how about the Rhodium caves you said you were in? Jack also knew you were there, Right? And the area didn't show up on the mountain hologram in Luther's Rock Shop...could it be possible that the Suit might have let them know where you were, even if it was out of radio reach?"

Mac responds, "I guess it's possible...I mean, what they use to map the surfaces of the mountain wouldn't be the most accurate for underground, but a tracking chip? I'm sure those things are designed to read you no matter where you are!"

"Yeah, and how did the guards here in the building know where you guys were?" Psymon claims, pointing at me. "I think it was you, Viggo, Elise, and someone else who said that the guards brought you near this room. I guess tracking devices could have helped them as well, especially if there really are no security cameras in-"

"Aw, no way man, I just remembered something!" Viggo excitedly shouted. "Why, we might not know if we're 100% on this, but Jack even said it HIMSELF! It was during the tournament's commencement ceremony before the first race, and he talked about how as long as you were wearing a Life Support Suit, his team back up in this building would be able to _find_ you _if you got lost_! That's gotta PROVE that theres something up with these protection suits!"

It's true...I remember myself that Jack, disguised as his brother at the time, saying pretty much exactly that. In fact, I'm amazed that piece of information hadn't tipped us off in the first place.

As everyone else begins to accept the idea as truth, I notice that Zoe has been leaning against the wall in the back of the room, one foot positioned on the concrete bench and the other on the floor, in complete silence. Eventually she steps away from the wall and walks toward our group, stating, "So let me get this whole thing straight; FIRST, Roxanne and I find that hidden box in the snow, which we NOW know was containing grade-A explosives, during the Cross Peak Race, and on top of that, it caused me a BUNCH of stress! THEN, after you guys discovered the dead body of whom we NOW realize was Roger, not Jack, in the mansion, and - in what I'll admit, was a pretty dumb idea on my part - after all of us traveling to this Peak tower, Jack rounds us up in this room and locks the door on us, promising that we would die. FINALLY, just as we can make our escape, we come to understand that if we DON'T deal with these protective suits, which we're pretty sure have been fashioned to track our every move, Jack is going to know that we've left this room JUST so that he'll be able to kill us in some other sadistic manner, all the while we'd be CERTAIN that we've MADE IT OUT ALIVE?"

Her voice, which grows to a shout near the end of her lecture, makes me believe that Zoe is going to throw a massive tantrum. But she does the complete opposite, calming herself down before saying, "Well. That's...very intriguing." She then turns back around to walk back to where she was resting on the wall.

And that's when Zoe lifts her right foot up into the air and, in what is clearly a bout of uncontrollable rage, pulls her foot down onto the concrete bench in the form of a powerful ax kick. Her kick is so forceful and violent that she tears the concrete away from the wall and breaks an impressive portion of the bench, which encircles the room, into thousands of smaller bits of rock. Breathing angrily, she turns back around to face the rest of us.

"I know people who have done lousy things to me before, but _THIS_ TAKES THE **_CAKE_**!" She screams, her face looking more determined that I have ever seen her before. "That BASTARD, and each and every one of his little thugs, are ALL, GOING, DOWN!"

"But what now?" Kaori asks. "Okay, ao we know that the Suits are being used to track where we are, and, what do we do about that? Are we supposed to look for some sort like, I don't know, a little computer chip in the Suit or something?"

"That's too complicated," Psymon quickly jabs, "I say we just get rid of 'em while we can!"

Elise, anxiety swirling in her expression, counters, "What, are you saying that we should take them OFF? Not that have any other ideas but...we can't! We NEED these Life Support Suits if we plan to board down Peak Three...there just too much risk without them!"

This comment catches me off guard. I walk up to Elise and confront her. "You're KIDDING me, right? I mean, SERIOUSLY?"

"Roxanne!" Elise replies, surprised with my attitude. "You HAVE to understand; riding down this mountain without any protective wear? You saw the Peak track on the way up here, right? It's too dangerous! And I've never-"

"YOU might have never, but I HAVE!" I yell back. "For four years, as a matter of fact. You know what off-League coordinators would give us for armor sometimes, if we were LUCKY? A really, REALLY, big jacket! And let me tell you, a really big jacket...never did the best job at protecting someone on the mountain." I flinch, remembering a few choice backcountry riders in the past who weren't fortunate enough to have a Life Support Suit. "Yeah, that's RIGHT! I've probably seen people DIE before, and because they were in the same predicament that we are in now: riding down a dangerous peak, without a Lookout OR a protective suit!"

Allegra sighs. "That's fabulous. What's your point?"

"My POINT is that all of you all still have one thing over every backcountry off-League rider I've ever known - THEY weren't SSX vets!" I gesture my hands to include everyone in the room. "I mean, just think about it; you nine are probably the best snowboarders I know, let alone on this PLANET, and you've already beaten out THIRTY other riders to make it here. It proves a lot, doesn't it? I doubt that any of you will have trouble getting off this mountain."

I could feel the atmosphere improve in the room; everyone around me starting looking a whole lot more optimistic than a few minutes ago. Kaori is the first one to comment back, with a smile. "Aww...that really means the world, Roxanne-san."

"Now I'm glad we're all being chipper about this," Moby states, "but...how do we take these Life Support Suits off anyways?"

...Uh oh. Moby seems to bring up a very valid point, because all positive chatter immediately drops when he says this. After all, the Life Support Suit isn't just a bundle of heavy pads, or anything like an undershirt or underpants...this time, or at least it would have been if the Extraordinaire was still going on, the Support Suit is a full-on outfit that covers every square inch of the rider from the neck down, concealed with a very thin skin-colored sheath that gives the impression of actual skin. I'm more than certain that all of the others in this room are wearing every bit of their riding outfits over their own protective suits. As for myself - and I don't know if this thought occurred to anyone else - I almost considered wearing my Life Support Suit in place of underwear.

"Huh," Viggo flatly presents. "This...is going to be awkward."

END CHAPTER


	29. Ch XXIX: It's About Time

**Chapter XXIX: It's About Time**

* * *

><p>MAC, AFTER PUTTING HIS GREEN AND YELLOW HOODIE BACK ON, THROWS THE LAST OF OUR LIFE SUPPORT SUITS INTO THE PILE OF SUITS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CIRCULAR ROOM.<p>

"Alright, so we cool?" Mac asks.

"I think so..." Kaori replies, tidying her purple vest and deep pink pants. Everyone else in the room seems to have put the rest of their riding outfits back on, after having to take every bit of clothing off to remove the bugged protection suits. All awkwardness aside, I'm sure no one will want to talk about it.

Elise looks over at me. "You better be right about these suits, kiddo."

I frown and answer back, "Hey! I already said, don't call me-"

"I'm sorry, don't call you WHAT again? 'Cause I'm pretty sure 'kiddo' is no longer on that list," Elise firmly states.

Oh. I turn away from Elise, "Whatever, never mind."

"Are we good then?" Griff says anxiously. "Like, we...can GO, now?"

"You betcha!" Zoe rejoins. "Last one back to the hangar is a rotten egg!"

As we begin to file out of the room, however, Moby urgently shouts, "WAIT! Just hold on!"

We all halt in our tracks. Zoe looks back, asking, "Wait is it, Moby?"

"I, I..." Moby stutters. "Why, I never got the chance to say what MY last regret was!"

"NO ONE CARES!" We all cry back, united in the understanding that every aspect of the regret game is basically moot at this moment.

"Aww, COME ON, chaps! Everyone else got a go, even-" It's no use for Moby, for this is the last that I hear as the rest of us quickly walk down one of the brightly lit corridors. Hopefully, the hangar area, where we had left all of our snowboarding equipment, won't take too long to find.

* * *

><p>"Umm, Roxanne?" Viggo catches my attention from behind as everyone else, including Moby, walks with us down a hallway. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"<p>

I turn around to face Viggo and stop. "Sure...what's the problem?"

"Well, I've been thinking," (Uh oh, that's not a good sign) "We might be able to get out of this building before the place is blown to bits, but what's stopping them from getting the job done when we're riding down the mountain? I mean, no offense, but now that we can't use those protection suits, we'll face even more danger if we're racing down a minefield!"

Damn...I didn't think of that. If the whole mountain does go off while we're getting away, we'll still be in trouble. "Okay then...um, what should we do then? We can't tell the others about this, they'll be devastated..."

Viggo shows off a prideful grin and gives me a thumbs-up. "Leave _that_ to me, Rox. I think I can find my way back to that main science-y room from back here..." He scans the hallways around us, most likely not finding any recognition of where that room is located, "...and I'll turn everything off, from the inside!"

"Oh, wow," I say, not entirely passionate about leaving the lives of me and the other eight in the hands of...Viggo. "Can you, actually do that?"

"Totally! Remember when we saw those control panels?" Viggo asks, already heading in the opposite direction of our group. "Trust me; I'll be back with you guys faster than you can say 'Mission Accomplished!'"

After he's left my sight, I speak the two words myself out loud. It's not much of a surprise to see Viggo isn't coming back. I really dislike it when someone uses the 'faster-than-you-can-say-whatever' excuse.

Turning around, I race back to the group, whom have all inexplicably stopped as they stare around a corner of another corridor entrance. Puzzled, I ask, "What's going o-"

"SSSSHHHHH!" The groups whispers back at me, all spinning their heads around and holding their index fingers on their mouths. It's effective, to say the least, because I cover my own mouth in shock.

Moby speaks to me, "Oy, zip it, 'kay? You're gonna tip us off!"

"Um, tip off? To who?" I say, walking over to the corner that their peering over, but very quickly I realize why they've all stopped. About thirty feet away, about five security guards stand in the middle of a hallway crossroads. The guards - by what must be the divine intervention of God Himself - AREN'T armed, all without a single weapon of any kind, but it's not very difficult to guess that the guards are on the lookout for US.

"Okay, GREAT," I whisper back, "so what's the master plan now?"

Griff turns towards me. "Okay: first, Psymon's gonna walk down to the left and get around to where he can see the guards from the left. He'll get their attention away from up ahead. Then Zoe here - uh oh."

He turns around, but Zoe isn't there. In fact, it doesn't take Griff half a second to realize what's happened before he spins around, looks down the corridor, and sees Zoe running up to the horde of guards with her fist in the air.

"ZOE, NO!" We scream, but it's too late; not only did we ourselves call attention to the men, but Zoe uses this perfect opportunity to punch one of the guards square in the jaw as he turns around, knocking him hard to the floor.

"Okay new plan," Psymon calmly utters, before running down an opposing corridor on the left. "EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD FOR THEIR FREAKING SELVES!"

The rest of us are pretty dumbfounded by the last couple seconds, but before any of us can react, droves of guards begin to pour from every possible exit. Zoe seems to be helplessly flooded by new attackers, although she's still capable of knocking out a new guard every second or two. Even Psymon's getaway becomes blocked by a new horde of men, all fixated on stopping the rest of us.

"Oh, **COME ON**!" I shout. All of us, excluding Psymon and Zoe, stand back to back as we survey each hopelessly blocked pathway. "I mean, do we ever actually get OUT of this building?"

A glimmer of determination appears on Allegra's face as she steps toward a hallway, with guards waiting twenty feet away. "Enough's enough; we're breaking out of here the same way that I did in Zombie A-Go-Go 2!" She dons a massive smile, but it quickly fades as the rest of us fail to comment on what she's said. She turns to face us. "WHAT? Did you people see ANY of my movies?"

"Honestly?" Kaori politely states, "I'm...NOT a huge zombie fan." The others use this chance to collectively nod back in agreement.

Allegra shrugs, "Oh, whatever!" She turns back around to face the guards. She begins to run towards the watchmen, who mirror her by advancing themselves. Halfway to the guards Allegra initiates this awkward stepping maneuver before twisting around and jumping into the air with immense spinning force, creating an epic drilling kick that knocks down every man ahead that comes within forceful contact of her feet.

"Hell yeah!" Griff shouts, in half-amazement, half-realization, "I mean, we're FREAKING EXTREME SSX SNOWBOARDERS! We soar over bottomless ravines, race at insane speeds, and preform tricks with ease that only gymnasts can dream of! What in the WORLD could these guards do that could possibly stop US?"

It's out of place, but the battle cry does its job; Moby, Elise, Kaori, and Mac adopt new expressions of resolve and strength. As for myself, I've never hit anyone outside of an SSX event, and even then it's only out of self defense, like when I fought Polly in the Cross Peak race.

But there never really is a time like the present.

Elise darts off in Psymon's direction. He takes this moment to crouch down, allowing Elise to pedal off of his back and punch a guard in the face in midair. As the other guards turn toward her as she rolls on the floor, Psymon gets back up and attacks, body slamming another five guards. Moby, taking notice of a group of men running toward us from a corridor behind, spins around and faces the pack.

"They don't call me the BRITISH CHUCK NORRIS for nothin'!" Just as the first man is about to attack, Moby roundhouse kicks him in the chest, knocking the first man and those behind him back like a wall of dominoes.

Mac and Griff speed over to Zoe, who is now trying to dig herself out of a literal mountain of KO'ed guards, and help her back on her feet. Before they can move elsewhere, however, Mac shouts out, "Kaori, behind you!"

I twist around; Kaori and I are the only ones who have mostly remained in the middle of the hallway cross section, but a guard has managed to get past the others to Kaori, gripping his hands around her throat. Instead of clawing at man's hands, she jabs him in the gut, making him relieve his grip, and then whips her foot from the ground into the air in the form of a half circle, like a zippy ferris wheel, kicking the guard right in the face and knocking him onto the ground.

"ALL RIGHT!" Zoe exclaims in satisfaction, "Looks like Kaori-X strikes back!" She pats Kaori in the back before racing down another hallway, as to help Allegra fend off another swarm of guards.

Mac walks back over to Kaori, his gaze set on Zoe. "Um, Kaori? I have to ask..." He stops and faces her. "That long fan-generated tall-tale - you know, the one about you living on an island with amusement park mascots, fighting, uh, crime..." He looks down at the incapacitated guard she had taken out, then back up. "Even calling yourself Kaori-X or something - none of that was TRUE, was it?"

Kaori laughs, and leans into Mac's face and kisses him on the cheek. But then she turns around, still giggling, and walks away. Completely ignoring the question. She didn't say yes, obviously, but...she didn't say no, either. Mac makes an attempt to ask again before having to duck below the swinging arm of another watchman.

And so this continues on for some time, oddly to the point where it's become tedious; Zoe and Allegra are still rambling with a group of attackers, Psymon, Mac, and Elise are keeping back a new wave of men, Moby is charging towards several unfortunate guards, and Griff and Kaori, along with Viggo sometime ago, are elsewhere. As for me? Despite my genuine enthusiasm for having an excuse to hit someone for all that has happened today, I have proven to be the most useless snowboarder in the entire building. Hey, at least Viggo is trying to help, and I've pretty much not budged for a good three minutes.

Bored of being absolutely no help, I decide to run ahead, hopping over scattered bodies of beaten up watchmen on the ground. Once I've made clear of the fighting area I begin to search around for the exit to the hangar. My initial thought is that I could find it quick and report back to the gang by the time they were done, but very soon after I start I realize how helplessly loss I am myself. As I stall in the middle of a hallway, however, I hear a low, odious laughter echoing from behind me.

So...I'm clearly not alone in this corridor. I feel like I swallow my own tongue as I slowly turn around to see who the man-

No, it's not a man. But it's safe to say that Goliath could time travel.

Looming a good seven feet in the air stands a massive, heavy figure a dozen yards in front of me. I wouldn't be surprised if he weighs three times what I do, and his arms must be thicker than railway rails. Donning an unkempt, broken smile on his rugged and ugly face, he brings his hands up to his neck level and pulls the dark leather gloves off one by one, revealing a set of massive hands that resemble toothy bulldozer blades.

YEAH...it's easy to see where this is heading. This guy doesn't want to JUST kill me, he wants to physically tear me apart.

I could probably just spin around and hightail it in any direction AWAY from this, but I simply keep my stance, my eyes affixed on his. Besides, his legs are, huge and tall, I guess...what if he can outrun me? So I simply stare forward, hoping, like some deer caught in a pair of headlights, that the giant ahead won't run me over.

In fact, I stare forward, forward..._slightly_ to the right a bit, and now, looking past the towering brute, I see - _SERIOUSLY_, is that what I think it is?- what appears to be a white trash bin about a hundred feet down the hallway on the corner of two corridors to the right.

An insatiable spark lights up in my mind. And before I can deny it, I'm already running ahead, towards the tall, bulldozer-hand man.

This Goliath man sees his chance, and just as I'm feet away he lunges forward with his powerful claws (yes, _claws_, not an overstatement). Luckily he's not the swiftest person and I manage to bend backwards and slide between his feet, barely making it through the opening at his legs without touching him. I quickly rise back up and continue to speed ahead, stopping at the trash bin.

I look up; while the man hasn't the best reflexes with his upper body, his lower-body strength truly is impeccable, and he is mere seconds away from ripping my head off of my neck with his violent hands.

Opening the trash bin's top, I thrust my hand to the bottom of the bin.

I see the color in his eyes - sorry, absence of color. Pitch-black.

My hand grasps onto the familiar ring of plastic.

He bellows a thunderous roar as opens his hands like talons and-

_*****__**WHAM!**__*****_ In the absolute nick of time I pull out the weighty bag of Swedish Fish, the candy bag that had earlier today belonged to Viggo before he tossed it, and, aiming between his deadly arms, I pull the bag up into his chin and smack him extremely hard in the jaw. If there was one thing I could count on today, it was the hardness of the individual "chewy" candies inside, each most likely months past their expiration date. The forceful pound up on his chin is sufficient enough to negate the giant's grabbing attack. I evade the rest of his body as he plunges into the ground behind me, sliding with the momentum of his sprint several more feet face first into the hard white floor.

Before, when I attacked the guard with the candy bag out of impulse, was an accident. But now...well, I'll admit: with the way he was staring me down like freshly sculpted Play-Doh, it's impossible not to feel like this is going to be fun.

The man is back on his feet soon enough, but now that I've gotten a taste of the offensive, he's simply no match for me. I'm Gogo on The Bride with my makeshift ball-and-chain, swinging around the seemingly harmless, yet oh, so satisfyingly dense contents of the Swedish Fish bag. The giant gives the fight his all but he's simply too slow, for I'm dodging and spinning and jumping with absolute expertise as I target his hands, head, neck and legs. After no more than three minutes I've completely exhausted his strength, and he falls backwards onto the floor.

I walk around to stand over the top of his head. He glares back at me once more, and makes one final attempt with his hulking arms to take me down. I whip the bag of stale candy behind my back.

"HIYAAAH!" I cry, pulling the bag over my head and bashing the man in the nose. His arms tumble down to the ground with a deafening thud.

I'm breathing heavily, stepping backwards from the fallen giant, still clinging to the candy bag. The feeling that takes me over is partly that of supremacy, but it's mostly of relief that the whole event is over with. I didn't realize how bloody it would be, either; not me, of course, the large guy couldn't lay a finger on me, but I must have knocked his mouth and nose really bad. There's blood all over the plastic casing. I guess stale candy really is more dangerous than it looks.

"ROXANNE!" I twist to my left, now that I'm standing in a different intersection of hallways, and see Zoe several yards down the corridor walking towards me, with a disgruntled look on her face. I look back at the blood on the bag; maybe she thinks I took it too far with my attack, but she shouts out a much different line than what I expect. "What are you doing? I mean, really? **_EATING _**at a time like THIS!"

What? I look back at the unconscious brute on the floor. Now that I've distanced myself from him, the man is hidden by the corner of the hallway. Zoe can only see me and the bag of Swedish Fish candy in my grasp.

I try to reason with her. "Wait, Zoe! I'm not eating, and I just took-"

"I haven't the time for excuses!" She interrupts. "Griff found the way back to the hangar, so DROP that bag and let's FINALLY get the HELL off of this mountain!" She snaps back around, not having much patience for me, and darts way. Obviously I don't think twice before dropping the Swedish Fish bag and running after her.

It's about TIME we started getting out of here.

END CHAPTER


	30. Ch XXX: But Who's Counting?

**Chapter XXX: But Who's Counting?**

* * *

><p>FRESH AIR SOUNDS LIKE A FANTASTIC THING, UNTIL YOU REALIZE THERE ISN'T MUCH OF IT AFTER ALL.<p>

After walking back out of the Peak Three Tower and into the Hangar, a large alcove section of the building that leads outside, all of us - Elise, Moby, Psymon, Zoe, Kaori, Mac, Griff, Allegra, and I - disperse throughout the open room to gather our individual backpacks and snowboards, which we all had hidden inside the area. Despite being in this room when we arrived, I didn't realize how thin the air was out here. I feel like I'm breathing in more than an opera singer, only to get the satisfaction of a short breath.

"Is it supposed to be this hard to breathe in here?" I ask to the others, having to exert more energy to speak the words.

Elise takes out a near-flat plastic cup device, which has a curricular hole on its base. "Actually, its gonna be even worse on the track. It wasn't too big of a deal to have to do something about it on the other two peaks, but we're high up enough to the point where the air is so thin, its dangerous to ride without one of these."

I look in my backpack; I remember packing a mask, an opaque black one with an outlet for my M-comm mic, along with an air tube, but I didn't think it was a requirement for the race. I speak up, "But wait a minute...the oxygen tanks were gonna be given to us before the start of the race! What do we do now?"

"Gotcha covered, Roxie!" Zoe shouts, walking toward me and Elise with ten medium-sized oxygen tanks hung over her shoulders. "Thought we might have needed these, so I stuffed them in the chopper before we left. After all," Zoe beams with exuberance, "I WAS the one that predicted we'd be in this type of situation."

"Oh really?" Allegra interjects, "And you're now actually OKAY with everything that has occurred, despite acting like some depressed mental patient with anger issues less than half-an-hour ago?"

Zoe doesn't comment back immediately - she contemplates to the side for a moment before looking back at Allegra. " The feeling comes and goes. Besides, I think fighting those guards in hand-to-hand combat really did make up for the rest of it."

We each take one of the tanks - the tall, bronze-gleaming canisters weighing a considerable amount for snowboarding - leaving one left over. Griff picks up the extra one, saying, "Well, since there's one left, I think it's fair to say that..." It sounds like he's about to declare the extra tank his own, but his voice trails off as he looks around at us. "Say...I could've sworn that Viggo was with us just before."

"What?" Allegra asks with a startled expression, spinning around to search for him. "Where did he go?"

Oops. I guess I was the only one who knew that Viggo left our group for the building's control room. "Calm down, Allegra," I say, "Viggo will back soon, I hope."

This doesn't help; Allegra only seems more worried than before. "That doesn't answer the question!"

I don't want to explain how our safety depended on him deactivating the explosives scattered across the track we're about to race on, since I'm certain that the rest of the riders don't exactly regard Viggo as a reliable individual, but I try my best anyways. "Oh, um...he told me that he was afraid that the mountain could blow up while we were still on it, you know, boarding, because that's what Jack plans to do anyways, right? And before we were apprehended by the guards when we first got here we found this room that Viggo recognized as somewhat of a control room so..."

"He...broke off from the group to go turn off the bombs on the mountain?" Zoe states quizzically, finishing my sentence with the words I knew no one wanted to hear. She scoffs, "I mean, are you serious? Can he actually DO that?"

"Well, his parents owned a ski resort so...maybe? I don't know!" It's a weak rebuttal, but it stops anyone else from heckling me about the situation.

"Okay..." Allegra calmly says, her voice not as tense as before. Suddenly she becomes very stern, telling us, "Well, not that _**I **_care, guys. If he's not here when the time comes, we are NOT waiting for him!"

For the next three minutes, we prepare for our trek down the mountain. I check my outfit; ruffled white shirt, short shorts, blue half-skirt, blue and purple boots, red board gloves, red knee and elbow pads, it's all together. Instead of the dark sunshade goggles from my first two races, I decide to cover my eyes with a much clearer silver-colored pair this time around. The shadiness of my old goggles didn't bother me at all before, but for Peak Three, I'll avoid any chances of not seeing something in my way, as peculiar as that may be.

I follow with my headphone-style M-comm, set to maximum distance for communication with the other boarders, and my oxygen mask, securing it under my goggles and over my mouth. I attach the end of the tube to the gas tank, which I attach to the side of my riding backpack. I pull the backpack over my shoulders, securing it under my arms and around my waist. I connect additional gas wires to my Super Boosters, each resting just in reach of either of my thumbs, bind any loose tubing for my Boosters and mask close to my arms and neck, and pull my snowboard out of my backpack and stand on the bindings. Finally, I test my board gloves, pressing on the pressure buttons on my fingers to control the board by unlocking or accessing the swivel function on the bindings. Now, I am ready for the deadly descent down the challenging racecourse of Peak Three.

Apparently, everyone else is prepared as well. Kaori checks out Mac's backpack as he puts on his pads, and Elise, Psymon and Griff test their M-comms. Unfortunately for Allegra, she's stuck with preparing Viggo's backpack and accessories, laying out his goggles, gloves, board, mask, Boosters, and M-comm.

Zoe, situated near the edge of the alcove, calls to our attention. "Alrighty, everybody, front and center!" We all gather in front of her as she looks toward us, he back facing the open space beyond the building. I couldn't even see Hidden Summit from up this high, with only a jumble of clouds and a sea of snow-topped mountain peaks for as far as the eye can see. Zoe continues, "So, we're all good and ready here?"

"Well, minus uno," Psymon comments, gesturing over to Allegra, who's holding Viggo's belongings. She glares back at him.

"Okay...um, I mean, are we SURE?" Zoe repeats. "Everyone's got oxygen in place? And, how about the M-comms?"

"They're all set up, love," Moby replies, tapping on his M-comm earpiece. "We got everyone on board."

Zoe expression begins to look rather stressed. "But what about board gloves? We can't have ANYTHING go wrong on the way down! And what about, uh, um..."

"ZOE!" I shout, realizing that her questions weren't out of care, but fear. I see it on her face now; no, she doesn't look absolutely scared or frightened, but she's definitely worried. "Are you gonna be alright?"

She prepares to outburst at me, but heavily sighs instead. "I don't know, Rox, it's just..." She looks out at each of the other riders, "Honestly I don't think anything this crazy's ever happened in my life! I mean, not only are we escaping this peak building, which USED to be heavily-guarded," She chuckles at what she perceives as a witty comment, but the rest of us don't laugh, "but now we're gonna race against the clock to get to the bottom of this mountain, dodging whatever Jack might have in store for us on the way down, all without Life Support Suits? We all make it down to the bottom...wow, it's gonna CHANGE us, man."

Everyone else returns her gaze with a smile, glancing at each other as Zoe takes a deep breath out of her oxygen mask. I say, "Well, if anyone on this planet can make it down this track, it's us, right? We're the greatest snowboarders in the world, so why even worry?" The riders around me, morale boosted by my words, cheer with confidence when-

***BAM!* **All of a sudden, a massive noise emanates from the back of the hangar, in the area we just exited the building from. I, along with the other eight standing around me, spin around, half-expecting another army of guards from inside, but it's only Viggo, who has FINALLY decided to show up. I don't understand why he would break down the door, which lays on the cement floor near the opening, but that's before I see Viggo sprinting with all of his strength towards us, his eyes wide open, as if he were being chased by a pack of wolves.

"Viggo!" Allegra shouts, at first sounding very jovial, but changing her tone to a more serious disposition midway through his name. "I mean, it's ABOUT TIME you got here!" She holds up his backpack and board. "Come and get your stuff on, we're getting out of here."

He lunges for his items and apparently tries to set the world record for the fastest-equipped snowboarder, his arms becoming a blur as he puts on his boots, gloves, and whatever else as quick as possible. His reply somewhat mimics his actions: "GREAT-that's-great-not-that-it's-a-bad-thing-we-c ould-totally-stay-if-you-wanted-but-LET'S-NOT-OKAY ? _Thirty-seven, thirty-six..._" It's extremely faint, but I hear him. While Viggo talks and moves at a hundred miles-a-minute, I hear him whisper to himself a set of numbers at the end of his sentence.

Psymon also catches on, asking, "WUH-HUH-HOH, dude, what's your rush?"

Viggo answers back, once again at a profound rate, as he hurriedly slips on his M-comm and Super Boosters. "Rush-haha-that's-swell-what-rush-why-even-say-tha t-I-could-take-my-time-not-that-there's-a-need-to- get-away-from-here-it's-not-like-something-terribl e's-gonna-happen-if-we-wait-any-longer-than-say-ma ybe-half-a-minute-or-whatever-but-who's-counting-I 'M-NOT-COUNTING-HAHA! _Thirty, twenty-nine..._"

Hold on. It's not just a set of numbers Viggo's whispering, he's counting numbers in order - in fact, not only is he counting, he's counting down. But what's going to happen in twenty-nine seconds...

"Okay, seriously now Viggo," Allegra pleads, "What is your prob...WAIT A SECOND!" She shouts, her tone shifting to anger, "You totally FLOPPED, didn't you! You couldn't turn off the explosives on the mountain or whatever, and you're not telling us!"

"_Twenty-three, __twen _- wait, what?" Viggo finally slows down, although he already has everything of his in place, save for his backpack and snowboard. "No, I totally DID turn them off, okay!" He puts his arm, carrying his snowboard in hand, over Allegra's shoulder and calmly grins. "You have nothing to worry about, Allegra." Allegra releases a sigh of relief, but her relaxed expression quickly vanishes when Viggo screams, "Now LET'S-ALL-JUMP-OFF-AND-ONTO-THE-MOUNTAIN-ONETWOTHR EEGO!" Viggo pushes Allegra out of his way as he hustles to the end of the alcove flooring, right above the beginning of the mountain slope. He's just about to leap off, board and backpack still in each of his hands, when he glances back and sees that none of us have budged a bit.

Viggo, now looking extremely anxious, sort of whispers back to us in a shrill whine, "WELL, let's just say for a moment that you're pushing buttons in a pattern that seems random like you don't know what you're doing and then you turn the right thing off and you're REALLY happy for like two seconds and then you sorta realize that you pressed another button that might have turned something ELSE on and..."

He's staring at each of us, apparently hoping that the rest of us can finish the sentence. I don't even try and think of what he means, because every time that I'm the one who realizes something, something terribly wrong always hap-

Oh God no. Oh DEAR HOLY MOTHER OF GOD no.

"Viggo..." I sweetly ask, with a very recognizable undertone of both disbelief and horror in my voice, "How many more seconds do we have left?"

He breathes in sharply, obviously not wanting to answer the question. "Maybe three?"

And 'three' is the trigger word there, for all of a sudden our entire group of ten, including me, are bolting for the side of the alcove, jumping off of the solid floor and over the white slopes of Peak Three. Suddenly, as I fall in mid-air, I hear a deafening, massive, powerful blast, coming from behind me. I turn around, but I am no longer able to see the Peak Three building.

An approaching wall of fire blocks my view.

END CHAPTER


	31. Ch XXXI: Still Not Lucky

**Chapter XXXI: Still Not Lucky**

* * *

><p>IT SELF-DESTRUCTED. VIGGO MADE THE FREAKING BUILDING SELF-DESTRUCT. HOW MUCH OF AN IDIOT CAN ONE BE?<p>

Despite the intense rumbling and ear-shattering ambience, I manage to land on the snow-caked slope of the mountain, already hitting a speed faster than I usually deal with. Everyone else seems to land okay as well; Kaori, who was one of the last of us to jump off of the (now obliterated) Peak Three tower, falls forward and somersaults onto the snow, but is able to upright herself and plant her board onto solid ground.

"_VIGGO!_" Elise shouts, her voice blasting through my M-comm, "Seriously, if we EVER get off of this mountain, I swear to God I am going to KILL YOU!"

Viggo swerves to the left, evading a rock jutting out of the ground. "What? WHAT? Is this really my fault? I just SAVED all of your asses, okay?"

"SAVED! If it wasn't for you we'd be dealing with a minefield, rather than a FREAKING AVALANCHE the size of a three-story building!"

She's right; it hasn't gained any momentum or structure yet, but the explosion from the building has caused the entire cap of the mountain to collapse in on itself. Within minutes, there's going to be a wall of snow ten times larger than the one I landed on back at Peak One.

"Man, I can't believe it!" Zoe speaks, sounding exasperated. "I mean, what about all of the guards and other people that were in there? Did you seriously just KILL them all, Viggo?"

Moby, with irritation looming in his voice, bellows, "WELL, considering YOU were the one who knocked at least HALF of those guards unconscious, Zoe, you tell me!"

"Oh yeah," she says back, with a simplicity that sounds almost comical. "So anyone remember what comes up next on this track?"

I want to point out that she was the one who got to sit up front on the helicopter ride on the way up, but I decide against it, surveying the immediate landscape myself. About a hundred feet ahead is an angle-less jump, with more sloped speedway on the right, and a massive formation of snow and rock on the right.

"At least the hardest part is behind us," Allegra states, which shockingly comes without a hint of doubt. "Let's just stick together and take the most optimum path down thi-AAAUGH!"

Allegra sees it first. And suddenly I'm surprised I hadn't seen it sooner.

From right behind the flat jump up ahead appears a black helicopter, covered in armor, except for the two open cabin doors on either side, and armed with missiles and other weaponry. There's no doubt in my mind that Jack is in that vehicle, his hands plastered onto the weapons controls.

"TAKE COVER!" Griff shouts, but it's no use at all. Everyone forces their snowboards sideways, quickly coming to a complete stop and ducking into the snow. I stop just as the rest, but I don't take my eyes off of the front of the helicopter until I hear a sharp, flaring sound. The sound of a missile on the helicopter being launched directly at us.

I close my eyes and clench my fists, as I hear the missile get louder, louder...then quieter, and quieter still, before I hear a faint boom from behind me. I turn around; fifty yards up the mountain, just in front of the dense clouds of debris and snow from the building, is a sizable crater in the snow. The missile completely overshot us, despite the barrel of the launcher being targeted directly at my chest.

The rest of the group begins to look up and out to where I'm facing. "Maybe it was a heat-seeking missile," Allegra says, but she realizes how stupid that sounds and states, "and it was...offset by the heat of the building explosion?"

It almost sounds plausible, but it doesn't block out the noise of another blast of fire, a second missile from the helicopter. I crouch down this time, shielding my face with my hands. The missile gets about thirty feet close to me before completely spinning out of control, going berserk before correcting its path to the left of us, down towards the ice obstacle course on Peak Two. There's a satisfyingly loud eruption as I faintly recognize parts of the horrifying Peak Two course subsiding and falling apart. I'd probably give into a shriek of joy right now concerning the destruction of the scary course section if I weren't attentive to the situation at hand.

I hear Mac's voice through my M-comm. "Uh...I'm thinking not, Allegra." So the missile wasn't attracted to a heat source.

"Roxanne..." Elise states, "I guess you were right about the Life Support suits." There is no question about it now. If we still had those suits on, we'd be dead.

I breathe out a sigh of relief, but it's depressingly short-lived. The missile-launching barrels, which rested alongside of the helicopter's skids, are retracted up to the sides of the main body, while two other barrels with several pipe extensions coming out on the rims replace the missile launchers. Zoe recognizes the new weaponry even before the barrels start spinning.

"GATLING GUNS?" She clamors. Suddenly the guns begin shooting out bullets at a rapid pace. The guns are aimed at the snow before us, sending bits of ice into the air with each whizzing bit of metal, but the commotion begins to advance on us.

Griff shrieks, "TAKE COVER AGAIN!" as the rest of us dash towards the formation of snow and rock to the right of the jump, which barely shields us from the helicopter's view. I rest my back upon the snow mound and feel a rhythmic vibration from the surface of our barrier. Whoever's in that vehicle hasn't discontinued the barrage of bullets directed at us. I hear the sounds of everyone breathing erratically through their oxygen masks, which is picked up by my M-comm.

"NOW what the hell do we do?" Elise questions.

Moby, crouched near the corner of the rock between us and the helicopter, states, "I don't care what you guys think; we ought to split up."

"Yes, because that worked out SO well last time!" Allegra interjects back.

"But it's the only way that we'd have the slightest chance of getting out of here!" Zoe adds in, "If we disperse from either side and take alternate paths, we'll confuse the chopper and can still meet up on the mountain later on."

Kaori says, "After all, it'll be better if Jack's only chasing one of us, right?" I can't help but feel that her comment is oddly insensitive. I see that the rest of the group is giving her a questioning glance. She speaks again. "No? I mean, he'll be caught off-guard to shoot any of us! Yes?"

"Um...sure." Zoe carefully retorts. "We'll go one at a time. I'll go first." She twists around, facing the left of our snow formation as to shoot off of the flat jump. "Remember to go whichever way the helicopter's not pointing!" With that, she pushes forward, darting off of the jump and into the air. She barely dodges the gatling guns as the helicopter swings downwards.

"Lemme go next," says Griff, but something catches my mind before I take interest in seeing him off. I turn towards Psymon.

"Psymon, do you still have that handgun?" I ask.

Naturally, he shoots me back a bizarre countenance. "Whoa-whoa-whoa!" He hollers, "And what do I owe the pleasure of such an inquiry?"

I grow tense. "That doesn't answer my question," I state firmly. "Do you have it or not?"

Psymon becomes more stern. "Yeah, I do. What about it?"

I raise out my hand to him. "Give it to me."

This time, Psymon skips the reply and heads straight into laughing out loud. "WHOO-HOO! What a side-splitter!"

"LOOK, Psymon," I glare back, "It's depressing for me to say that a missile to the face is NOT the closest I've ever gotten to death!" It's not really an argument, but still painfully true. I feel like I've dodged death a hundred times in the past two days alone. I continue, "If that helicopter thinks that I'm an easy target, I want to be prepared. Now give me the damn gun!"

"But what about ME?" He pleads. "What happens if that thing comes after MY hide? Whatever would I do then?"

"Oh please," I respond, with the simplest counter in mind. "Don't be an idiot, Psymon; only a moron would chase after someone as intimidating as you."

He's prepared to say something, but he stops. Without hesitation, he takes off his backpack, reaches in, pulls out the handgun, and puts it in my open palms. "Careful, it's loaded."

"Good," I reply, inserting the handgun up the right sleeve of my shorts, which are tight enough to hold the weapon in place, but wouldn't be a hassle if I need to take the it back out. I walk over to the edge of the small snow and rock hill. "Is it gone?"

Allegra, about to dive, answers, "No, but it's helplessly off balance." I check out the helicopter as Allegra jumps from her position to the mountain side below. The vehicle has stopped shooting, and is spinning in circles. I guess one of Zoe's ideas has finally paid off.

"I'll go next," Mac states, peering over the rest of our group. So far, Zoe, Griff, Moby, Viggo, Elise, and Allegra have started the descent down Peak Three, leaving me, Psymon, Kaori, and Mac behind our barrier.

Before he leaps for the left of the hill, Kaori, grabs Mac's hand from behind. "Mac-kun..." She anxiously states. "I'll, see you at Hidden Summit?"

"Hey, hey..." Mac notices the tension in her voice, and confidently answers back, "I'll see YOU on the mountain." He hops off the side and races down a banked slope, dodging another shower of bullets in his direction.

Kaori looks behind us, to the top of the peak. "Eek, we'd better hurry." I glance back; near the top, where the building used to be, a cloud-like wall of snow begins to fall down the mountainside. It's not too fast, but once it gains momentum, we'd better be out of here. Kaori turns toward Psymon. "You gonna go?"

"Who, moi?" Psymon taunts. "And how could I be such a gentleman, disregarding, 'LADIES FIRST'?"

Kaori scoffs, and faces forward before boosting off the right side. I follow, jumping off of the left side where Mac had begun his trek down the slope. Instead of taking a banked turn to the right, where the rest of the group had mostly headed, I hop over the bank and continue to the left of the track.

The Peak Three Extraordinaire was meant to be a tight race, with most of the race spinning around the mountain with checkmarks that the racers would have to pass. Clearly, now would not be the time to care about completing the track as it was meant to be, but I decide to check out an open-sided tunnel as to get away from the helicopter and the other rides. In fact, besides everything going on, getting back to snowboarding after the hectic events in the past twelve hours is almost calming.

I survey the track ahead. I'm inside a steadily banked alcove that turns to the left. The right side is a cliff off of the track, slightly blocked by an arcade of arches that supports the roof of the tunnel. Although there's nothing intimidating to come yet, I have my Super Boosters on full blast. There should be enough boost for me to use for the entire mountain run.

"_Hey guys, it's Zoe,_" I hear over my M-comm, "_We should all be connected to each other at this point. Since I'm not sure of what happened after I jumped, let's get a roll call, or something._"

"_Elise here. I'm riding with Griff._"

"_That's right,_" Griff adds.

"_Moby's__ alive!_"

"Alright, Roxanne's here, too." I comment, followed by the rest of the snowboarders. I exit out of the tunnel to the right, managing a steep slope towards another mountain wall._  
><em>

"_Okay, this is good._" Allegra speaks over our M-comm channel. "_Now, if we could finally get down this peak without any more distrac-*FFSHFSHFSHSFSH!*_" I'm assaulted by loud static, nearly losing my balance before veering to the left of the upcoming mountain wall. When the static fades, I begin to hear something else over my M-comm. At first I think it's part of the static, but it has a discernible repetition that sounds like... like rapid gunfire. Did the helicopter catch up to one of the other riders?

"_HOLY SMOKES YOU GUYS!_" I hear Viggo over the M-comm once more. "_THERE'S A BUNCH OF FREE-SKIERS CARRYING MACHINE GU-*FFFSHSHHHSHFSHSHH*-sting, testing, testing one two, testing one two three._" I'm completely caught off guard, not by what Viggo says before he's cut off, but by the new voice that came afterwards, which I couldn't recognize as ANY of the other nine boarders on Peak Three!

Carefully, I ask into my M-comm, "H...Hello? Who is this?"

The new voice stops mumbling the phrases it was speaking and shouts in a surprised tone. "_Wuh, What? ROXANNE? What are YOU doing with your M-comm?_"

NOW I recognize the voice. How could I forget? "ASH!" I cry out. "What are YOU doing? Where are you right now?"

"_I'm testing the M-comm frequencies down in Hidden Summit. Since the race is bigger, and there's less racers, we'll be able to distance ours-_"

"THERE'S NO TIME!" I shout in interruption, thankful that he is in Hidden Summit and nowhere near the top of Peak Three. "Ash, you HAVE to warn everyone in Hidden Summit to GET AWAY, before the town is buried in snow!"

"_Rox, what the hell are you talking about? What is going on?_"

I pull out into an open area, with a steep area towards my right and another track section to my left. I look up at near the Peak; the avalanche has really built up now, coming down the mountainside at considerable speed from all sides of the peak. "Um, short version?" I whizz over a bright red rail as I grind 50/50. "The tournament is a sham, Roger is actually his evil brother and is trying to kill us, and the there is a FREAKING AVALANCHE threatening to mow us down!"

Ash still doesn't sound convinced. "_Look Rox, you know you're not supposed to be...oh._" The tone in his voice finally changes to what I consider appropriate for what's going on. I don't know if he's looking at a hologram, or at Peak Three with his own eyes, but he's convinced now. "_Rox, just...be careful, okay?_" I hear him stand up from a rolling chair. "_I will be back in a sec._" I hear another loud static noise before the M-comm goes quiet again.

Well, for half a second, anyways. "_Hello? Is this thing back on?_" It's Griff this time. I dive into a massive chasm that sends me to the left. I ride inside an ice cavern, with openings on the right side and near the top.

"_I think someone has been jamming our frequency._" Zoe insists. "_I can't tell if it's Jack or someone else down at Hidden Summit._" I'm almost about to notify Zoe about Ash, how him testing the frequency and accuracy of my M-comm might have switched off the rest of them. It wouldn't matter now, anyways; Ash is probably busy warning the town about the impending doom behind us._  
><em>

Allegra speaks up. "_Where are you guys? If the M-comm frequency is faltering, we NEED to get back and stick together._" Moby calls her off, but others begin to support Allegra's idea. Apparently, Viggo wasn't lying about skiers with machine guns, and a couple of the people in our pack have been stalling on the slopes to regroup anyways.

I'm a bit overtaken by the mountain scenery to care much. Even though the race has gone down the gutter, it's a fantastic venue nonetheless. Ahead of me the track jumps over a deep ravine before landing at a banked section of ice that curves three quarters of the way around, setting up another jump over the same ravine that leads the track in the rightmost direction of where the section starts. A towering column of ice is positioned in the middle of this near-complete bowl of ice, and holds up a very tall roof of mountain rock.

Suddenly I hear my name over the M-comm. "_Wait, I don't remember hearing Roxanne's voice, guys!_" I hear Kaori state worriedly. "_Roxanne-san, are you still okay?_"

"Calm down, guys," I speak over the M-comm. I bend down and ready myself for the ravine jump. "I'm doing alright. Besides, I haven't seen a single skier with-AAAAGH!"

Again, I don't know why I don't hear it before I see it.

Because once more, the black helicopter, which had been shooting at us with missiles and bullets at the top of the mountain, reappears out of nowhere, blocking my trajectory over the ravine and onto the banked ice turn ahead. I'm unable to discern a single face from beyond the vehicle's darkly-tinted glass as the gatling guns begin to spin.

I must have a few other, saner, options at my disposal, yet instead I decide to jump directly over the moving, hazardous obstacle. I leap upwards, holding my Super Boosters vertically as to attain vertical velocity and barely clear the helicopter's propeller blades.

Much less probable things have happened today.

I land hard on the banked ice, increasing my acceleration as I speed around the helix. I affix my gaze onto the helicopter, which begins to pull out sideways from the tight area. To my bewilderment, the vehicle begins to retract its gatling gun barrels, leaving the skids completely wide open.

Now's my chance. I pull out my right pickax and ready again for another jump. Instead of aiming for the next part of the racetrack, which is far to the right, I set my sights on the far-most skid of the vehicle; the cabin doors on both sides of the helicopter, for some reason beyond me, are still wide open, and if I can latch onto landing skid with my pickax, should propel me up to the helicopter's cabin. I leap off of the right side of the jump, heading for the open mountain air to the left, right under a steadily rising helicopter. I pull my pickax over my head and, as I soar under the belly of the machine, fasten my pickax between the body and the skid.

I'm swung head over heels almost instantaneously, the blaring sound of the helicopter's spinning rotor blades nearly drowning out an astonishingly loud snapping noise from behind. In the fraction of a second that I am able to glance over my shoulder, I see that the force of my body has broken off the opposite side of the landing skids. I'm no longer capable of holding on to the grip of my pickax as I'm flung into the cabin, feet first.

Unable to see where I'm going, I strike someone hard with my boots, sending the person out the other side of the cabin, screaming as he falls out of the helicopter. Before I fly out the other side of the vehicle myself, I grip at the floor and manage to grasp onto the very ledge of the cabin with my right hand, my body dangling outside the helicopter, thousands of feet in the air. I search downwards, and catch a glimpse of the man falling below. If I'm lucky, maybe it was Jack.

Then I look back up. Nope, still not lucky.

"YOU AGAIN?" Jack shrieks, holding onto the sides of the cabin as looks down at me as I hold on to the edge of the cabin. I reach for my handgun, with absolute and full intent to blow this psycho's brains out, but I'm unable to reach the weapon from underneath the right side of my shorts with my left hand. I attempt to switch hands, but Jack intervenes, stomping his foot down and crushing my right hand.

"YAAAH!" I cry out in agony, with Jack's full weight upon my gloves. Suddenly, the right side of my snowboard detaches from my boot. Jack pushing down on my board gloves must have caused the bindings to release. I stare back into Jack's malicious, boring eyes.

"I've already told you once, Roxanne," Jack bellows, pulling out a brass revolver from his back pocket. Desperately I reach for my handgun once more, but to no avail. "You..." he points the barrel of the gun at my head. I am absolutely terrified now. "...are NOT GETTING OFF OF THIS MOUNTAIN ALIVE!" He cocks the hammer at the back of the revolver.

But before he can manage to pull the trigger, some involuntary feeling or instinct of mine kicks in at that final second, for I reach for my last pickax with my left hand, swing it over my head, and jam the tip of the blade deep into Jack's crushing foot! The blade easily penetrates his thick shoe as I listen to the unpleasant, yet ever-so-satisfying sound of tearing flesh and cracking bones.

"AAAIIIEEE!" Jack shouts, blood gushing out of the area where the pickax is lodged into the shoe. I let go of the pickax as Jack pulls his foot up, releasing his seize on my right hand as he falls backwards. My supporting hand injured, I can no longer hold onto the edge of the helicopter, and I fall off of the side as the helicopter continues to move diagonally away from me. As I begin my descent to the ground, however, the main rotor system, the huge mess of material between the rotor blades and the body of the vehicle, catches my eye. I'm finally able to tug from under my shorts and pull out the handgun, despite the paralyzing pain from my right hand. Falling faster and further away from the helicopter, I take the gun in my right hand, aim it at the rotor system above the cabin, ready the gun, and pull the trigger.

I don't know how I do it, but somehow I hit the rotor system and cause the entire top part of the helicopter to erupt in a large cloud of flames.

But there's no time to watch the vehicle spin out of control; I'm still falling at an increasing rate. I look back towards Peak Three, way to the right. If I can glide back to the front part of the mountain, I can get back onto the track and meet up with the others. Without hesitation, I reach for the handles of my wingsuit and pull them out, but instead of being able to maintain control of my descent, I start to fall even faster. I look at my feet, and realize that right binding of my snowboard wasn't connected to my boot. Without the snowboard connected properly, the aerodynamics necessary for gliding are completely thrown off. I also see that I am about to crash back-first on a angled rocky outcropping. I shield the back of my neck and head as my backpack tears against the jagged surface.

The sound of a massive balloon popping from underneath me assaults my eardrums.

The rocky ledge is short in length, and soon I fall a few more meters before falling onto another cliff ledge below. The surface is covered in snow, which stops me from sliding off the side again. I sit up and survey the view; the Peak Three track, which must be to the very right, is kept hidden by a natural barrier of snow and rock. I hear another explosion sound, much fainter than the rest I've heard today, and I turn my head to the bottom left and squint down. I'm able to catch the faint glow of fire as a dark billow of smoke fades in and out of existence. I attempt to breathe out a sigh of relief, but when I inhale, it feels like breathing into a vacuum.

I try breathing again, but there is no solace, with only enough oxygen to keep me from choking on my own breath. Very quickly, the problem becomes debilitating, to the point where I can't even keep my back raised off of the ground. I can't be out of oxygen yet, Zoe said my oxygen supply would outlast the part of the mountain where the air was thin! I pull off my backpack and turn it around to view the-

Oh no. That rocky ledge damaged a lot more than I thought, because there is a gaping hole in the heavy metal canister where the rocks tore the material to shreds.

I pull the canister out of my backpack, and yank the tube from my air mask. I let the tank and tube roll off of the side of the ledge and into the chasm to the left. The back of my head falls into the thick, ice-cold snow, as I have no more energy to hold my body up. I'm not able to hear the avalanche yet, but I'm more than certain that it's going to strike here at any moment now.

I also hear another, much louder, and closer noise. It's the voice of someone over my M-comm, repeating my name.

"_Rox? Hey Rox! Are you there? C'mon Rox, speak to me!_"

It's Ash again. I can tell from the moniker he's using for me. "I'm here, Ash," I weakly state, the depravation of oxygen restricting me to a simple whisper.

"_Okay, good,_" he says gratefully, "_I just got back from the Summit town, everyone's starting to evacuate and everything! How's it going up there? Have you seen Roger yet?_"

"No, Roger's been dead, Ash. It's Jack who...who was trying to kill us." My eyes wander down to the abyss where I last spotted the helicopter's remains. "And I think...I think he's gone now."

"_Oh, alright_," he says, a little confused. Obviously he doesn't know what I'm talking about concerning Roger's murder. "_Let me just pull you up on the mount-_"

"Ash," I interrupt, "What about the others? Elise, Mac, Kaori, Griff...all of today's Peak Three racers are also on the mountain. Do you know if they're all okay?"

I hear a pause, followed by light tapping on a keyboard. "_Hang on...I'm trying to get your location here but the, uh, the...locator, thingy, it's, it's not-_"

"Ash," I speak as adamantly as possible. I take a long moment to regain strength. "I need you to contact the other riders through their M-comms, and make sure they're all okay."

"_Rox...I will, but, what's going on? I'm here to help YOU get off of that mountain, remember? Do you have an idea of where on the-_"

"No, you don't understand, Ash!" I interrupt again, the severity of my tone causing another relapse of stamina. "I'm...I'm not going to make it off of this mountain." I don't realize it, but I've been crying for nearly a minute, only now noticing the frozen droplets of tears on my cheek and neck. "My, my oxygen canister gave out, and I'm stranded near the top. I can't get up, Ash. I'm so scared..."

Ash's breathing becomes more erratic. "_Roxanne..._" He says as calmly as possible, but his words are very strained. "_Look, I...you need to try and move forward. Maybe...maybe slide down the mountain a little, where the air isn't as thin. Any...uh, any..._"

He's desperately trying to think of something else to say, but I cut him off. "Ash, I can't! I'm right on a ledge here, I'm blocked off by either a wall or empty space! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Ash..."

I start to cry out loud, unable to hold back tears, yet gasping for air every time I breathe out. For a while, I hear nothing from the other end of the line. Either Ash is dead silent, or he's left me in fear. I nearly do believe that he has exited whatever room the tournament houses the Lookouts, but the quiet, reposeful voice from my M-comm reassures me against such a terrible idea.

"_You...you want to know something, Roxanne?_" He questions, as sincerely as if I were merely sitting across from him. "_I actually didn't plan on staying for the Peak Three Extraordinaire. In fact, I wanted to leave the mountain range when the first race ended._" His words actually do catch my interest. Didn't he tell me that he was working full day shifts before the first race began? "_You see, about a week ago, I had just gotten out of this long relationship with a great friend of mine. But, the way we broke up, the way she wanted to end us - certainly nothing I ever want to go into detail with - it...it nearly killed me. Nothing had ever left me so depressed in my life._"

I didn't know what to say, partly because I could barely keep conscious on the breathable air there is, and partly because my mind is busy with phrases, such as how I feel sorry for him and don't what to say, or how now at least I know he really is single, and how insensitive to him and myself I am for even thinking that. He continues: "_I planned to take a lot of time off to get over this girl, but I had signed up to help out with the Lookout system for the Tournament Spectacular nearly a month before. I made plans with another employee that he would take over for me after all of my work on and after the Peak One race was done._"

Ash sighs, disheartened with the moment. "_And then...and then I started talking to you, Rox._" My ears perk up. He must be talking about the pre-game conversation we had before the first race began. "_Now, don't get me wrong, it's not like I instantaneously had these deep and meaningful feelings or anything with you at all. In fact, you sounded like I was first boy you ever talked to in your whole life._" He's nearly right on the mark. I can't help but chuckle silently. Why laugh at a time like this? "_I mean, even after you muted me at the end of that race, defying the specific orders I gave you...I just, couldn't pull myself together and get out of here. I...I needed someone to talk to, about anything, really, and you were there._"

"Oh, Ash..." I utter dolefully, "why are you telling me this? Why must you-"

"_Because I, I..._" He starts shouting, but has trouble expressing his thoughts and calms down. "_Because, I want you, Rox, to get off that mountain alive, and...if I can do __anything at all, it's that I want to thank you, for helping me feel better about my troubles, I guess. Also I...I want to get that coffee with you, and talk and, get to know you better, Rox..._"

There's absolutely nothing I can say. Before, when I had spoken to Ash, I feel like I wasn't being completely serious when I tried to flirt or coax him. I didn't have anyone else to talk to outside of snowboarding. I was just trying to have fun. But now...Ash is being serious. And he's not doing an 'I'll-say-whatever-I-can-to-motivate-you' speech, it sounds like he really, truly means what he's telling me. And it only makes me cry more.

"_Roxanne, what I'm trying to say is that I really do care for you, and I know how terrible that sounds since I was just in a relationship, but it...it's going to pain me more than anything else in the world, even more than some petty breakup, if you give up right now and die on that mountain._"

I look over my forehead, barely able to see the rest of the top of the mountain, upside down. I guess being way off to the left of the Peak didn't help my chances of avoiding the avalanche; it's fully visible now, perhaps a little less than a mile away from where I rest. "Ash..." I speak quietly, "that's...that's so, very sweet of you..." I begin to breathe in more slowly, to the point where the lack of air isn't so harrowing.

Ash catches on very easily. "_Well...wait, what? NO!_" I hear Ash push a rolling chair aside as he stands up in distress. "_Rox, you CAN'T give up now! You need to get out of there!_"

I start to feel the snow around me vibrate imminent natural disaster speeds toward my location. Very soon, the avalanche fully engulfs the section of race track I had just been on, and starts to close in on my ledge, stray bits of snow and ice from the avalanche falling down on me. I close my eyes; I can't bear the sight any longer.

"_ROXANNE!_" Ash hasn't given up, and, before the moment that I am enveloped by a suffocating carpet of snow, Ash yells, "_If not for me, then, what about your friends? What about your family? What would they do without you?_"

* * *

><p>The avalanche continues to engulf the slopes of Peak Three. Not only is this particular disaster affecting the entire circumference of the peak, but absolutely every element of the Peak Three track section is either torn up, covered by snow, or destroyed when the careening avalanche comes across. On the far right corner of the mountain peak, on an elevated, flat area, the flaring remains of Jack's crashed helicopter are overtaken by the careening wall of snow. There's no argument now; Jack Nichols was no more.<p>

On the mountain, the rest of the contestants in the final race ride down the mountain, pursued not only by the impending avalanche, but as well as a large group of skiers armed with assault rifles, possibly survivors from the explosion of the Peak Three tournament control tower. Many of the attackers are rather incompetent at skilled free-skiing, not to mention having to fire a weapon and outride a natural disaster, and several of the skiers succumb to the slopes and are overtaken by the deadly avalanche.

END CHAPTER


	32. Ch XXXII: Not Giving Up

**Chapter XXXII: Not Giving Up**

* * *

><p>AND WHO THE HELL SAID I WAS ONE OF THEM?<p>

I do like Ash. I've decided to come to terms with this. I mean, how could I not? He really is the first guy in years that I feel like I've gotten so close to, despite the fact that I actually haven't met him in person, and as of a few seconds ago, he's...one of the first guys that's said that he cares for me. I can hardly remember the hollow relationships I amused myself with back in middle school, although I do recall how immature nearly every boy was at that time. My real track record is simply abysmal - I've only had one real crush, and I've never been kissed...I've never had the security of saying there's ever been something real with anyone. Now, more than ever before, I feel that Ash could be that first anyone.

So it's pretty thoughtless on my part - lying here on this ledge, consciousness escaping my grasp as I feel more and more asphyxiated by the atmosphere around me - trying my hardest to ignore any of Ash's pleas to move in the name of our sprouting relationship before I'm struck down by the avalanche above. When he reminds me about my family, however, all of a sudden the totality of my reasons for getting off of this mountain hits me harder than I'm sure the avalanche above could ever accomplish. How could I possibly forget the hour before, when I made it very clear to myself that I would get off this mountain alive, so that I could go back home? A new surge of energy arises within me, and despite my lack of air, I stand up, lock my right boot back into the board binding, grapple my backpack on - sans empty oxygen tank - and jump off of the ledge and into the deep ravine below, just as the wave of snow above begins to tear into the ground close by.

I fall without effort for half a second before opening my wingsuit, certain it won't backfire as it had earlier. I glide past the cliff face, dodging the avalanche completely, and enter into a massive cavern with a impossibly tall ceiling of ice. Sparse, skinny columns of solid rock barely keep the roof from collapsing, and the surface above is thin enough for sunlight to force its way through and brighten the open area, even lighting rough snow-blanketed stone flooring far below. Hundreds of feet ahead, I spot a section of the ice ceiling that is considerably tenuous; if I could ram myself right into the plot of ice, I'd easily smash through and land back on the mountain surface above.

But how can I pull it off? I might be gliding, but I can't fly - by the time I reach the glassy ice horizontally, I'll have drifted too far vertically to reach it. Sticking inside of this cavern is out of the question, I've got maybe a thousand feet before the cave ahead presents a deadly dead end. If I can't think of a solution fast...

...And I've got it. My brand new, genius, temporary escape plan is so bizarre, so mind-blowingly brilliant, that I stall in action for a moment to think to myself: why the hell hadn't I or any other racer in this tournament thought about this before?

Acting upon my spark of genius, I grapple my Super Boosters into my hands - still holding tight to the wingsuit handles - and push down on the Booster's button tips.

The desired effect is unquestionably immediate. In what must be the biggest loophole in this tournament, I begin to blast forward in midair, flying at an angle that will set me just below my necessary destination. I allow myself to dip downwards, distancing myself from the ice ceiling, before curving back up to the vertical towards my exit. The upwards thrust from the Boosters is so intense, I'm able to let go of my wingsuit handles and flip upside down before allowing the bottom of my snowboard to smash through the glass-like surface above.

I'm greeted with an intense array of lights as I return to a position above the slopes. The area ahead takes on the persona of a racetrack once again, although with the crumbling mountaintop behind, some metal structures and rail sections are noticeably in anguish. I touchdown back onto the snow, easily steadying my balance as I speed down the mountain. Realizing that it has had to be at least a minute since I least took a breath, I cautiously inhale, fearing another attack of oxygen deprivation.

To my sweet relief, I've traveled just far down enough to keep myself alive.

The catalyst of my actions narrowly escaping my mind, I remember Ash on the other end of the M-comm.

"I don't know what they'd do without me, Ash," I say, smoothly answering that last question as I take large breaths of fresh air, "but I will be DAMNED if I ever let the world find out!"

"_Roxanne? Is that YOU?_" he rejoins with increasing satisfaction. "_I, freaking, KNEW IT! WHOO YEAH, BABY!_"

I wipe away a tear that exits my eye before it freezes to my cheek. No more excuses this time; no matter what comes next, I am not giving up - not now, and not later.

My first objective: find the others. I've been offline for quite some time, and I'm unsure if any of the nine riders are still alive. "Okay, Ash, now is the time to focus." I set my course over small bunny hops within a corkscrew of grind rails. "I need to find the other contestants - do you know where they are on the mountain?"

"_Hmm..._" Uh oh. The tone isn't assuring one bit. "_I really can't say for certain. I must have disconnected their long-range capabilities on accident when I plugged into - wait._" Technologic resonance plays through the M-comm. "_There's some interference on the map, it's right ahead where you're coming in. I think it might be your __friends!"_

"I'm on it!" I lunge forward, scouring the surroundings for another boarder as I outrace the avalanche behind me. The track ahead seems to be a large amount of alternate routes of ice, snow, and rail, including jumps over deep ravines. Unlike the individual routes at the very beginning of the race on Peak One, these different routes were larger and wider. I don't pay attention to the specifics, since I don't intend to find any way down the mountain that isn't the quickest.

Over the growing rumble of the avalanche, I start to discern the faint sound of something sliding on the snow, just over the hill to my right. Imagining that it's one of the nine, I swerve over the hill and into the air, landing on the ground near where the sound is coming from. When I look to see who accompanies me, however, I immediately find that it isn't a friend of mine - in fact, it's a man covered in black, free skiing while handling two machine guns, just as Viggo had shared.

"Gotcha now!" He shouts, attempting to balance himself before he takes his aim. I have no time to make a true reaction before another figure, eclipsing the sun in the sky, appears overhead and lands on top of the armed skier. The boarder, who turns out to be Zoe, rests her thighs around the man's neck as she spins around him, twisting the man's torso. She manages to disengage herself and land safely back on the snow as the skier brutally tumbles down the slope before getting eaten by the encroaching wall of snow and ice.

"Good to see you still hanging on, Rox-star!" I hear her clearly through the M-comm this time. The long-range radio communications may be out, but it didn't affect the M-comms' close-range ability. "Did Jack manage to slow you down?"

The two of us keep a comfortable distance from the avalanche as I answer back, "In a way, but we...we won't have to worry about him anymore. I sorta made the helicopter crash and all."

"Whoo nelly, getting around, aren't we?" She replies, although not as fervently as I thought she would about Jack being dead. "Well in that case, why don't you stick around and lend us a hand or two?"

"Us?" And that's when they enter; from the left and right of us, more of the vets appear on the snow: Viggo, Psymon, Moby, and Elise spring to appearance, each visibly happy with my presence.

"Yep, this is us," Zoe continues, "We sent Allegra and Griff ahead to speed down to Hidden Summit to warn any stragglers. We haven't caught sight of Mac or Kaori yet, but you know them, right?"

Something she said triggers a question, as I ask, "Wait, what do you mean by 'help,' Zoe?"

"Why, help with knocking out free skiing, weapon-wielding ding dongs, of course!" She swerves to her left, trailing up the short hill. "We've got major baddies flanking us on each side. Let's spread it out, gents!" Zoe takes a hard right, passing behind me and jumping over a ramp to my right. The other four follow her lead, shifting elsewhere for a better view of the surroundings.

It doesn't take long before I hear the sound of rapid-fire gunshots nearby, and when the routes finally merge into an empty field of snow at cool down point on the mountain, Zoe is all too correct; it's the six of us against at least twenty free skiers, although only about a quarter of them actually have guns. The weaponless skiers must have ditched their guns early on when it became apparent of an obvious lack of balance and control.

Unlike back in the Tower, when we had to fight the security guards in the hall, I immediately spring to action. My sights set on an unarmed man who appears straight ahead, I speed up, hop into the air, and land onto his back before he notices my presence. I drive right over him as I land my snowboard back on the ground. Not looking back to see the damage done - obviously the man is left victim to the mountain disaster - I target a new adversary, who is sliding near Viggo as he prepares to attack him from above, via a rail right up ahead.

I decide to make quick work of this; I dart to the left and just before the thug can enter onto the rail, I shout, "Viggo, behind you!" before I shove the man, although I realize in hindsight that I had pushed the man right into his direction.

At first, I think that Viggo will merely duck out of the way of the flailing man, but when he hears me over the M-comm and glances back, he quickly pivots around, leans back, then lunges his right arm forward, delivering the most epic punch straight into the skier's face.

I had just started grinding the rail the knocked-out man was aiming for, so I nearly topple over at the sight of Viggo's spectacle. I call out, "Nice one!" giving him a thumbs up as disappears under the rail and to the right of the track. Of all the stupid things he's said and done over the past day-and-a-half that I've known him, he's slightly vindicated himself.

The other snowboarders fare extremely well against the skiers. Elise takes a very innovative approach, unlocking one boot from her board at a time to knock down the invading riders with a powerful kick while managing to keep her balance. Moby simply rams himself into unsuspecting skiers, unable to make a shot before they're pile-driven into the snow. At one point, Psymon, who seems to be going solely after the skiers wielding weapons, advances on a man while singing:

"It's tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme, that's right on time, it's HEAD TRAUMA!" He completes his song while elbowing the goon hard on the side of his head, pounding him to the ground.

I make a plan to stick on the rail for the time being, but out of the corner of my eye, I see a person fly into the air and land on the rail right behind me. I swivel around; about 15 feet up the rail is a free-skiing man, grinding in my direction. Unfortunately, this one does have a machine gun, and he's got the barrel pointed straight at me.

My immediate idea is to duck out and ditch this rail, but before I have the chance, the rail veers right off the side of the mountain into an open air section hundreds of feet above the ground. Trying to boost ahead or opening my wingsuit to fly away would leave me wide open to the man behind me. Just as he begins to open fire on me, thankfully missing on his first few shots, I kneel down, unlocking my boots from my board and resting my knees on the bindings, and jam my Super Boosters onto the rail, generating sparks between the metal of the rails and the Booster handles as the intense friction starts to slow me down.

The thug doesn't stop shooting ahead, but he isn't capable of lowering the end of the gun's barrel fast enough as his constant speed quickly overcomes the distance between the two of us. I keep my back leg rigid as I slam the back of my boot into his shin, causing him to drop the machine gun and tumble over me. Lean off of the rail back towards the mountain track, opening my wingsuit as the man falls into the expanse below.

I reach back to the main racecourse section to a pleasant surprise - Zoe, Moby, Viggo, Psymon, and Elise were able to take out the rest of the free skiing goons, none of the five noticeably suffering any gunshot wounds. I land within the group right as Zoe applauds the rest of us.

"Whoo-hoo, guys! That should be the rest of them!" Zoe laughs, "See Elise? I told it wouldn't be so hard!"

We enter a wide left turn section, sticking close together, as Elise scoffs, "I didn't think they would be such inept skiers." Another turn, this time to the right as the view down the slope is obscured by low cliff faces. "Even the ones that could ski for their lives had no combat experience on the snow."

"I'm just glad it's over!" Viggo sighs in relief. He turns to Zoe and asks, "So exactly how much more mountain do we have until we reach Hidden Summit?"

"Not too sure," Zoe responds, "judging from the heli ride up and how far down we've gone already, it should be about another fifteen minutes before we even-"

Zoe is interrupted by a large explosion from up the mountain. I glare back and see a sizable plume of fire and smoke. It doesn't come from near the top though; the incident actually seems to have happened right around the area where I was grinding that rail a few minutes ago, before the avalanche covered the area up.

It's not long before Psymon shouts, "VIGGO! You said you shut the bombs off! Why the hell did one just go off?"

Another explosion occurs, this time farther up the snow-blanketed slopes, followed by a disturbing chain of blasts from an indiscernible location. Viggo starts to look tense, uttering, "I don't know! I DID turn it off, or whatever! What if the avalanche is pushing them around and setting them off somehow?"

"AAUGH, this is just GREAT!" Elise yells, "This is just what we needed! Can I EVER catch a break?"

"MAC! MAC-KUN!" Elise's voice through the M-comm is upstaged by a new voice, as Kaori suddenly appears from inside a snow tunnel that exits from the right. "Guys! Oh, is Mac not here?"

Moby blinks, "Oy, we thought he was with you!"

"Oh no!" Kaori gasps, covering her chin with her gloves, "I haven't seen him since the split!"

Another loud blast rocks the foundation, this time only about fifty feet away near the area where the tunnel just was. The bombs don't seem to be going off in any particular order, but must be triggered by the forces of the avalanche upon the mountain. If this is the case, then these 'suck boxes' definitely aren't as sturdy as Zoe had implied last night.

Zoe calls the rest of us to action, shouting, "Well then, you heard the lass! We all know the rule: no man left behind! Knowing Mac, he's probably just elsewhere on his own. Since the thugs have been dispatched, we shouldn't run into any problems looking for him." She exits the racecourse section, drifting off to the right of the slopes.

"Okay, who died and left Zoe in charge?" Elise inquires, wondering what has put Zoe in such a commanding mood.

Kaori shrugs, "Does it matter? We just gotta find him! At least-"

"But what if he's already at Hidden Summit?" says Moby, "Y'know, since he's always bragging about how fast he is."

An argument effectively ensues; as for me, I am not going to spend the rest of this race against the avalanche with this getting transmitted through my M-comm. Before there's any chance to drag me into the brawl, I spot a track section that branches to the left. Once I've lost sight of the rest of the riders, the new track leads me into a wide ice tunnel. After a sharp turn to the right, however, the tunnel tightens up and makes a huge drop down, with nothing but the light refracting through the ice and into the tunnel giving me sight of where the tunnel is heading. Before I realize how incredibly fast I'm going, I'm shot out of the tunnel, landing my board on the side of a sloped curve.

I take a second to regain an idea on my surroundings; I seem to have exited the tunnel into a ravine about fifty feet under the main racecourse section. The two walls of the ravine form a crevasse at the surface of the slopes, which I assume is where the rest of the boarders are passing by. I'd usually worry about the possibility of no way out, but the decorated track lines and and a set of elevated rails new the floor of this ravine, I feel confident that this section will lead back to the main track. In fact, since the avalanche is now farther away, all I really have to worry about at this point are the-

"YEEHAW!" My thoughts are thrown out of whack when a new voice blares through my M-comm. I spin around; sure enough, I see Mac, grinding on the rail just above the floor of the ravine. What bewilders me most, though, is that he's executing a one-handed handstand, despite the clear danger of messing up even once on a trick.

Naturally, I cry out to him, "Mac! What in the world? YOU SHOULDN'T BE DOING THAT AT A TIME LIKE THIS!"

He ignores my plea, bouncing up during a hump on the rail and front-flipping twice before landing back on the rail, right side up. Just before he reaches the rail ahead him, which angles upwards and leads to the surface of the mountainside, he twists around to face me.

"Find your Flow, Roxanne...it's the only way you'll ever get out alive!" He boosts while heading backwards on the rail, readying for a jump as he shouts once more, "Find your Flow!"

I watch as he flies into the air, spinning over his board as he performs a Footloose before the shoulder of the cliff conceals him from my view. I have to give him credit, only Mac would be able to survive doing Uber tricks down a mountain in this condition.

The ravine I'm still stuck in transitions into an underground cavern, the opening far above closing and becoming a low-hanging ceiling as the walls begin to recede outwards. Far ahead within this cavern held up by innumerable pillars of thick ice scattered around the cavern, a horizontal line of light signals my exit back out to the open air, perhaps leading to a jump towards the main course.

"_Hey Rox, it's Ash again_," he speaks though the M-comm. "_Just wanted to check up. Hidden Summit is nearly cleared of everyone. How are you holding up?_"

"Ash!" I clamor in joy, "It's going well! I should be down there in no time!"

"_Well...even so, I don't want to wait,_" I hear him clear his throat as I hold one side of my headphone M-comm. "_I, I just want to say it now: I realize that I told you I was in a serious relationship before, but over the past few days I can't imagine myself growing closer and wishing to be with someone like I have and...I really love you._"

I have no idea how to respond at first. I'll admit, it's a little awkward what he's told me, and his instant silence after speaking shows he knows this as well, but I couldn't possibly blame him. There's a mountain falling apart up here; Ash is caught up in the moment, and the more I contemplate on it, I realize that I'm caught up in the moment too.

Thirty feet away from the mouth of the cavern, I decide to answer back, "Oh, Ash, I really do love you t-"

Suddenly, the large ice pillar to my left cracks, then violently explodes, bombarding me with heavy shards of ice and knocking me out of my senses. A flurry of pain and forces course throughout my body before I hit the ground a second later.

When I've finally regained perception of my surroundings, I'm lying on my chest, sliding backwards on smooth ice as I face the mouth of the cavern. Looking ahead, the inside of the cavern is a mess of fire and smoke, with a solid cloud of rushing snow an ice devouring the cavern from the inside out. The avalanche is no longer out of sight and far behind - it's fifty feet away and approaching fast.

I have to get out of here, _now_. In an effort to help myself off of the slippery ground, I reach for my Super Boosters and-

The moments that follow consist of terrifying, sobering realizations, one after another. My Super Boosters are no longer between my thumb and fingers, and my boarding gloves have been completely ripped to shreds. My backpack, which has my wingsuit and Super Booster fuel, is no longer around my shoulders. I reach for the side of my head to tame a ringing sound when I find that my M-comm headphones are gone, and when move my board...

My board. My board is no longer attached to my feet.

I scramble up on my elbows, desperately searching for my board. When I look back in the direction I'm uncontrollably moving, I apprehend the final piece of my misfortune; I see my snowboard, just before it slips over the drop off of a cliff a hundred feet over the ground...

And I'm next.

With no backpack, no wingsuit, no gloves, no Super Boosters, no M-comm, no Life Support Suit, no control over my bindings, and no board - not to mention the entire mountainside above me erupting while an avalanche tears through it - I flail helplessly as I slide off of the side of the cliff.

END CHAPTER


	33. Ch XXXIII: Find Your Flow

**Chapter XXXIII: Find Your Flow**

* * *

><p><em>"FIND YOUR FLOW, ROXANNE...FIND YOUR FLOW..."<em>

Despite the unfortunate situation currently unfolding in front of me, it was important to recollect that an absolute is an absolute. Even as I chase vertically my snowboard over the side of a cliff as an avalanche blocks out the sun above me, I do not let my mind fall into the same vein as occurred after the helicopter crash. Sure, this might be a hundred times more dismal than when I was suffering from asphyxiation - at least then I still had the majority of my snowboard equipment - but even in the face of perhaps the most certain death that I have ever encountered in my entire life, I will not give up.

For the sake of all that I value, I REFUSE to let this end here.

I know that I'm capable of falling faster than my snowboard, so I dive towards it and reach out for it. After I firmly grasp it in both of my hands, I turn my attention to the sharp edge of ice I rapidly approach. Thankfully, the edge, jutting out from the white-coated ground, slopes downwards and ends after about thirty feet, so I manage to land a handstand on my board as I grind the stretch of ice down to the snowy surface.

When I upright myself back to standing on the board, keeping a high speed down the current stretch of mountain as to continue outrunning the avalanche, I recognize that the board bindings are no longer locking into my boots. Without my board gloves to control the bindings, I'm stuck with riding down the rest of Peak Three in complete vulnerability.

I shoot a quick glance back up the mountain; the avalanche shows no signs of slowing down.

What in the hell am I supposed to do now? Literally _riding_ down this mountain is my biggest threat to my well-being right now. Jumping into the air means that I'll have to take hold of my board, or it'll simply drop off of my feet! I could take all of the safe side routes and avoid having to worry about losing or falling off of my board, but that would take time, and the careening barrage of mountain from above puts that out of the question. Moving straight ahead towards Hidden Summit, over jumps, cliffs, canyons, and the like, seems to be the only possible solution for escape. I've taken my fair share of risks with questionable obstacles without a Life Support suit in off-League events in the past, but without a wingsuit, pick axes, Super Boosters, and a properly functioning snowboard...do I still have what it takes to secure my safety?

"_Find your Flow, Roxanne...it's the only way you'll ever get out alive!_"

Mac's final words to me start to replay in my head. I recall the first time he talked about Flow - it was after my deranged trick run through the Peak Four forest on our way to Julius. I still remember every movement, every twist of the board and the body, aerial acrobatic achievement that I never wish to attempt again...

...but...what if Flow is the answer I'm looking for?

Yes, doing SSX-style tricks in this situation was very rightly the last thing I had on my mind, but when I bring myself back into those close-minded moments, racing through the great trees littering the Peak Four landscape, a status of utmost invincibility reveals itself as all the more present. I recognize the credibility of Flow, and that if I really set myself aside and dedicate the rest of this life-or-death run to putting the most effort into a freestyle run that I ever have in my entire life, it may be my best shot at getting off of this mountain alive.

Besides, if it was working for Mac, it just might work for me.

Up ahead, the main track dives towards the right into a smooth section, while straight ahead features a jump that ramps off of a ledge. I don't know what lies ahead of the cliff, but I know what must be done. I crouch down in an attempt to gain speed naturally, since I no longer had my Super Boosters. Preparing for the jump, I ready my left hand to grab onto the top of the snowboard, and as I slide over the ramp, I lunge forward, front flipping in the air as I perform a nose grab.

I manage to flip twice before landing onto a hill section below, which segues into a steep slope down a half-pipe, followed by knots of rail twist and turn every which way. Keeping my perilous footing on the snowboard, I speed up to an uncomfortable velocity down the drop, and ride right onto one of the red rails that appears from out of the ground. As I look ahead at the disarray of rails in the foreground, I know that staying on any individual rail would take up too much time, so I decide upon jumping from rail to rail, in order to continue moving directly forward.

As the rail I grind on begins to end to the right, I hop off, holding both sides of my snowboard as I begin to spin and flip from rail to rail. I vary my different rail landings with different sorts of grind tricks, such as The Proposal, while keeping in mind that I must hold onto the board each time I transition to the next rail. While leaping off of the final rail towards another straightaway, multiple rails begin to snap in half around me as the snow bends them out of shape. Landing back onto the mountain, I distance myself from the avalanche as I keep racing down Peak Three.

On the next jump, which gives me plenty of air time, I decide to do a Madonna, letting my right foot drop back behind my left as I hold the nose of my board with my left hand. Then, I pull my right foot back up, bringing it into contact with the side of the board as to spin it around my fingers. I line up my board sideways as I land backwards on a lengthy edge of ice, grinding the edge before jumping back into the air. Twisting upside down and to the side in midair, I get back into landing position as I make it back onto the mountain.

The area just in front of me presents itself as what appears to be dead end. Already blocked from the left and right sides by steep mountainside, a twenty foot tall cliff face blocks me from moving forward above ground, leaving the only way onwards the entrance of an ice that sinks right into the wall.

Judging from my prior engagement with a tunnel section, I'm very wary of using this route, but it really is my only choice. Besides, now that far away enough from the avalanche, moving to a tunnel underground shouldn't be too dangerous. I rush into the tunnel, the light of the outside diminishing as I race through the entrance. The tunnel's interior quickly expands, revealing an intricate mix of ice-coated surfaces and branching pathways inside of a sprawling central cavern.

Geez...there were only going to be 10 racers on this Peak - did they really expect us to find any of these racetrack sections?

I ignore any pathway that doesn't lead directly straight, opting instead for a slightly curving pathway that shows promise of an exit, as I could see light glimmering through the tunnel as the solid ice walls distort the outside waves. I make quick work of the curving tunnel, banking from left to right as the downward angle improves my rate of movement. At one point, the floor of the tunnel drops, and dips too low to consider riding over, so I eye the tunnel's ceiling. I use my momentum to allow me to corkscrew up and around the tunnel, avoiding the speed trap and keeping imperative pace.

At the very end of the tunnel, I notice that the lip of the exit is too steep; using it as a jump would severely slow me down. I identify that the left side of the tunnel's mouth is completely flat, so I sway to the left near the very end and jump out of the tunnel from the left and into the air. Keeping in sync with risky tricks, I execute a Blackbird, keeping my board above me as I barrel roll underneath it. I kick it back into place as I land back onto the mountain. Eyeing my next trick opportunity, I allow the next ramp off of the ground to vault me into a backflip. Holding my board in my right hand, I spin it around in a circle right in front of my arm in the manner of a Sidewinder as I allow the feeling of weightlessness to take me to my next landing destination.

Back on the slope, I suddenly realize that my current location is all too quiet. I glance to my left and right - where in the world did the avalanche go? I must have outpaced it in its entirety, not that I feel any need to complain. It's going to make the rest of this hazardous run a piece of cake by comparison.

I turn my gaze back to the area ahead; Hidden Summit should have been visible from up here, but there's a layer of cloud coverage about 500 feet down. The track up until then features multiple rails, crossing ramps, and one jump over an average-sized canyon that splits the bottom from the top. Overall, it's going to be an absolute blessing to experience.

Or at least it would have been, if the mountain track didn't start exploding.

All of a sudden, the slopes hundreds of feet down the Peak start blasting into the air, beams of billowing black and white shooting out of the previously calm mountain surface, almost as if a volcano simply decided to show up on site. Is this happening because the bombs that were planted underneath the mountain are starting to be set off? But I thought that only the avalanche was capable of that! That can't be possible, since I left the avalanche way behind me...

And that's when it happens. Despite the disaster awaiting me just a dozen seconds down the mountain, I turn my attention to the surface I'm currently riding across...

...because the ground around me is starting to _bubble_.

There's almost no time for me to evade what occurs next, because just after I notice the increasingly large lumps in the floor of the slope, massive plumes of snow begin to erupt from these bubbles. I swerve out and around the blemishes, since I definitely do not want to try riding over a formation just before it turns into a geyser. In what seems to be a confirmation of Peak Three literally falling to pieces, the violent discharges of snow and ice begin to group up from behind on the already deteriorating mountain slope, forming an entirely new wave of onrushing snow.

Alarmingly, this is the second time this week an avalanche appeared from underneath me.

Time to kick it into high gear; crouching back down gives me a natural speed boost, allowing me to keep up with the required pace. I scan the landscape ahead of me, searching for a rideable trail among the distorted scene. I opt for simple spins and one-handed grabs as I take the most direct path down over multiple ledges. Keeping half of my focus on my future route, I have to continually re-evaluate alternate paths as the underground explosions continue to change the terrain.

Soon, I reach the next section of what appears to be the site of a battleground. Dodging dangerous spots in this minefield isn't possible, so I decide upon sticking to a rail that goes off to the left. I keep both boots in the inoperable bindings, since I can go without performing grind tricks for the time being. Up ahead, the red rail dips into a canyon section, and since I'll be able to keep a respectable speed on the rail when it angles down, I keep to the current path.

Once I've taken the dive into the canyon on the rail, however, I soon regret it; way above, a massive offshoot of ice breaks apart from the right canyon wall, and it's going to drop directly on top of me. With only a moment's forethought, I reach for the nose of my board and force my right foot onto the rail, launching my body into the air. I somersault over the mass of ice as it crashes into the rail, snapping it in half and disrupting the rest of the single pathway out of this canyon. Thankfully, the rail up ahead is bent upwards, so I position my board and land back onto the rail, riding the rest of my momentum up the rail and out of the canyon.

I land back onto the right side, riding back to the center section of the surface track. Having bypassed the rest of the section, only one more area separates me and the layer of cloud cover: a single ramp, angled upwards into the empty sky. This must be the final jump before Hidden Summit is finally within my sights. Wanting to put as much effort as I can into the last trick, I accelerate down this preceding dip as I head for the jump.

But the warning sign is all too visible, for just as I am about to reach the lowest point of the dip, the white and blue surface of the ramp begins to show numerous fractures, like cracks on an eggshell. I do my best to veer to the right as much as possible just as the ramp explodes outwards, due to what must be a bomb situated directly underneath.

Successfully avoiding the compromised ramp, I am forced to turn back to the left when another explosion blocks the way. With the avalanche triggering more of the explosives around me, I'm obliged to trek downwards and through the thick, hovering clouds. I make quick work of passing through the cloud layer, but instead of Hidden Summit, I see that my current route has led me right in the middle of a ravine, and with another section of the mountain falling apart up ahead, it appears that I'm running out of precious time.

This must be it; I swerve in and out of multiple hazards spurting out of the snow, now aiming my efforts towards (what better be) the _final_ final ramp before the end. Within the airspace of the jump, the two opposing walls of the gorge are beginning to fall apart, closing the gap of my only remaining exit. It almost appears that I won't make it through the space in time, but I don't have any other options for second guesses.

The present atmosphere is becoming more and more erratic. Abruptly, a giant shard of solid ice breaks from out of the ground in front of me. Thinking quickly, I jump up and grind on one of its edges, before moving off and having to steer clear of another icy obstacle jutting from out of the permissible earth. Remembering to retain my snowboard in at least one hand, I flip around and block the next obstruction with my board, doing my best not to dampen my own speed towards the end. I manage to get back to the snowy slope before the knots of ice crash down from behind.

Coming up on this ramp, I crouch down in preparation for the jump, and position the leap right off of the ledge's edge. Twisting around in tight circle, I pull off a Body Board, gripping the top of the board and pressing it against the rest of the front of my figure. It's a close fit, but I manage to make it through, a deafening crash from behind indicating the collapse of the land behind me. Holding the board tight in my left hand, I extend my arms and legs outwards, impeding the momentum of my spin, and look towards the base of Peak Three.

There it is: the Hidden Summit ski town. So peaceful. So pristine. So royally screwed by the oncoming natural disaster. Any concern I might have had for the town, however, is instantly drowned out by feelings of ecstasy when the snow-sprinkled rooftops come into sight. I land back onto the slope, keeping my path directly for the buildings ahead. The sound of the avalanche has greatly softened over time, and I'm confident that whatever is left of its momentum will be silenced by the flat section of the town.

Hopping over one ledge sends me flying over the Cross Peak Track from yesterday, and after holding the back of my board in the form of a tail grab, I touchdown onto the flat ground of the town. I keep too much of my focus on the town, unfortunately, for when I begin to ride into the town, I slide over a fractured rock that was jutting out of the ground, but nearly hidden by snow cover. I hear a loud crack, and all of a sudden my balance is entirely out of whack. I look down; my board has completely split into two.

Because literally nothing else could have gone wrong for me.

It's only a matter of seconds before I can no longer keep steady on one half of the board, and I tumble onto the concealed concrete. I dart back up to my feet and continue my getaway on foot, not bothering to see just how few feet separated me from the encroaching snow slide. In the background, the sounds of walls colliding ring through the cold air, and I can tell that Hidden Summit is slowing down the avalanche.

When I do attempt to look back as I reach the far end of Hidden Summit, I step off of the town's concrete pavement and into a section of thick snow. With no time to prepare for the transition in terrain, I trip right over my own feet and my face slams right into the ground. With no time to wrestle myself back off of the ground, I cover the rest of my head with my arms as the avalanche finally hits me in the boots, climbs up to my knees and...that's it. For a few seconds I remain in my defensive state, but when I finally do open my eyes onto Peak Three behind me, what I see leaves me at a loss for words:

Absolute stillness.

END CHAPTER


	34. Ch XXXIV: The First Goodbye

**Chapter XXXIV: The First Goodbye**

* * *

><p>STOPPED...IT STOPPED...THE AVALANCHE STOPPED...THE AVALANCHE STOPPED AND IT'S FINALLY OVER.<p>

It's rather bizarre, seeing Hidden Summit almost entirely covered in snow. The avalanche seemed to have completely lost momentum the moment it reached the town, as there's a noticeable slope of the heavy powder that gradually declines in the avalanche's direction, although the snow managed to completely overtake the buildings near the back of Hidden Summit.

After about half a minute of resting in complete awe of my harrowingly-close brush with getting buried alive, I shoot back up into the air, doing my best to stand above the snow. Needless to say, I no longer had my snowboard, let alone most of my equipment, and if I wasn't so exhausted from the past twenty minutes of strenuous snowboarding, I'm sure I would be shivering; short shorts and a button-up short-sleeve shirt are not the best protection from the current temperature.

"SAVE THE PUMPS! SAVE THE PUMPS!" I shift my attention to Marisol, who is yelling something almost incoherent to another person waist-deep in snow within the buried town. It turns out to Seeiah, raising a clothing bag above her head as she trudges through the shifting white ground.

"Don't worry, sweetie!" She shouts back. "I got 'em right here!"

I turn around to see what is behind me and beyond the visible remains of the Hidden Summit town. It appears that I'm standing on a section of a wide hill, untouched by the avalanche. It's a very flat area which, considering the past hour of my life, is nothing short of a godsend.

"Whoo! I see you've made it as well," Allegra says to me, appearing from my left. "You doing okay?"

I expect to reply quickly, but it isn't until now that I'm aware of my out-of-control breath. I take a moment to nod my head and reply, "Yeah," before I reserve myself to controlling my breath as I take another look around my surroundings. Along with Allegra, there is Moby, Zoe and Psymon near the edge of the hill, resting down on the snow. Kaori is standing in the center of the area, and all of the store owners I met besides Seeiah and Marisol - Brodi, Luther, and Eddie - are also nearby.

I knew there were more that were missing, but I just assume they were nearby; I see Elise, for instance, with one arm each around both Viggo and Griff, coming from the right side of the town. She appears to be injured, as she does her best to keep her left foot off of the ground. I walk towards towards the three to find out what has happened, along with Moby, Eddie and Allegra.

"What's going on here, Elise?" Moby asks." You gonna be alright?"

Elise winces as she continues to step forward. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just sprained my damn ankle is all. That avalanche really hounded at me near the bottom of that - ah!" She stops in place, and the two men carrying her help rest her on the snow. "I could really use a hospital right now..."

"That won't be a problem at all!" Eddie interjects, "Before the snow slide hit, I signaled a helicopter to stop on down just a short while from here." He gets down on one knee, his eyes directly at hers. "I can take you down there, if you want."

"Oh, Eddie!" I notice Elise's eyes light up; it's easy to see that she's in a better mood now. "I would really like that."

Eddie digs his arms into the snow under Elise's back and legs and, being wary of her injured foot, scoops her up to his chest level as he stands back upright. "Right on! Don't you worry girl, our next stop is-"

"WAIT!" Kaori shouts from the middle of the level ground area. All of our attention is turned to her. "Has anyone seen Mac-kun?"

Mac. He's the last person of our group who hasn't yet appeared among us. Despite the impossibility of one of the best riders in all of SSX succumbing to Peak Three, it quickly flashes over everyone else's faces: an assumption of the worst.

Kaori notices this too, but refuses to imagine such. She calls out, "No, no! Do not give me those looks!" She faces back at Hidden Summit, facing away from the edge of the hill as the majority of us stand around her. "MAC-KUN! Where are you! This isn't funny, Mac-kun! MAC-KUN!"

I cringe at the ultimate despair of it all, but no one says a word. Kaori keeps shouting, addressing Mac as if he was actually there. "Mac-kun, how could you do this to me! Four years of us apart...and now that we are together again, you go and leave me alone? I refuse to believe this! MAC-KUN, WHERE ARE YOU?"

As Kaori keeps purposelessly yelling towards Hidden Summit and Peak Three beyond. I cannot help but begin to assume the worst myself. How could Mac be so careless? I TOLD him that doing Uber tricks during an avalanche was terrible idea! And now that he isn't here, Mac has no one to blame except for-

And now I want to slap myself in the face, for just as I begin to doubt him, Mac appears over the horizon of the hill, behind where Kaori is facing.

I _oh, so desperately_ want to say something, _anything_ to end this soul-crushing moment, because the only person that doesn't see Mac walking towards Kaori, and is now relieved by Mac's presence, is Kaori herself. Everyone else, however, seems to be in on the same cruel irony, so I keep my mouth shut.

Meanwhile, Kaori continues her forlorn-fueled rant, as she lacks the common chance of simply looking behind her back. Finally, she pleads, "And you want to know something else, Mac-kun? I...I hate pizza! I've NEVER liked pizza! Every time we went to a pizza parlor after a race, it felt like my stomach was doing a back flip after having a slice! But...every time you would ask, the pizza was never on my mind! I wanted to spend time with you, Mac-kun...so my answer...my answer never changed."

"I never liked pizza either, Kaori." She immediately turns around, tears clinging to her cheeks, as she stands frozen in complete shock. Mac, staring back at her from a meter away, fills the gripping silence with a most affectionate plea, "But whenever I would ask, you would never say no...so my question never changed."

'Overwhelmed' is an understatement. Kaori lunges at Mac, and the two interlock for an inconceivably passionate kiss. For the next few moments, I entirely forget to breathe; on top of being half-dead from surviving the avalanche, I'm uncertain how to react to this unbearably emotional scene. Had I not known better, I could almost swear that I see Zoe wiping her hand across her nose.

After a lengthy period of time, Kaori and Mac separate their lips from one another, each still tightly held in the other's arms. Mac teases, "So...you wanna grab a bite? We can skip the pizza this time around..."

"Eat?" She exclaims, "Mac-kun, I do not care, as long as we are going together!"

With that, the two rush towards the edge of the hill, hands interwoven, and exit the area.

Elise, still being held in Eddie's arms, watches Kaori and Mac depart. "Aww, what a sweet ending." She turns her attention to Eddie. "Now how about that helicopter you were talking about?"

"Oh, right!" He declares. He turns around to face the downhill slope. "We'll be there in a jiffy."

After Eddie and Elise have left, Viggo shyly walks up to Allegra, saying, "Y'know, Allegra...I've been thinking about what you said, back at the Tower, about us...I know that was when were supposed to be dead and stuff, but...you still mean that stuff now, right?"

I see the answer on Allegra's face before she speaks it. "Even after you almost blew us up, you lovable idiot. Of course I still mean it." After the two embrace, she adds, "I gotta say, it's too bad that the race was all a farce. I was looking forward to riding through Jupiter City."

"Hey, who says we still can't?" Viggo asks, "I know this cool diner overhanging the finish line section. Race to see who picks up the bill?"

"You're on!" She replies, and the pair hop on their boards and vanish over the horizon of the hill, heading towards the racecourse section that begins beyond Hidden Summit.

Around the same time, I notice Moby and Psymon are speaking to Zoe. From what I pick up, it's definitely something about the 'relationship issues' Zoe talked about a long while ago.

"...and we've had with it, Zoe," Moby says. "You gotta choose someone. You can't just keep teasing the two of us forever."

Zoe scratches at her forehead. "Yeah, you both got yourselves a point. Dang, just when I thought there weren't any cons to surviving this death trap of a tournament..."

"Yes, hilarious," Psymon blandly remarks. "So who is it gonna be?"

A moment of contemplation draws a wicked smile unto Zoe's face. "Okay, how about this? The both of you spin around and...wait a second. Have either of you ever see the movie "Catch That Kid"?" The two guys shake their heads. "Alright good then. So the both of you spin around, and stand apart so neither of you can see each other. Then, while you're both facing away, I'll make my choice and the two of us will silently escape, leaving the loser here, in total depression!"

"I'm game!" Moby declares, "After all, I already know the outcome!"

Psymon scoffs, "Well then, that makes two of us!" Both Psymon and Moby turn around, each with their hands crossed.

I didn't know what movie Zoe was talking about, but it is little surprise to me when Zoe, instead of choosing either Psymon or Moby, immediately turns around and lands on her snowboard, doing her best to silently flee the scene.

Not even a second after she's started to slide away, the two men, simultaneously recognizing the trickery in Zoe's game, look at each other in astonishment, then down the hill at Zoe, who has gained quite the head start away from their location. Both Moby and Psymon do their best to jump on their snowboards and chase after her.

"OI!" Moby shouts out, moving further and further out of earshot. "YOU GET BACK HERE, YOU CONNIVING..."

As the trio disappears, Brodi, who has walked up fairly close to me, talks to Marisol and Seeiah.

"I have to say," He says, "it's rather a shame that the town has been covered in snow. I can only assume that our stores' equipment has been lost or damaged beyond repair." I see that the two girls are noticeably disparaged, but Brodi's laments are recognizably half-hearted. He continues, "Oh well. Such is the way of material pleasures. They are easily replaced."

"_REPLACED?_" Luther objects, trudging through the thick snow toward the four of us. "That's easy for YOU to say, Buddha Boy! While y'all are sappy over yer gadgets and girly-gams, _I've _gots countless rare-earth elements buried under this snow cover. It'll take weeks to recover my inventory!"

Marisol scoffs, "As if we'd expect _you_ to understand the finer things in life!" She turns around, "Come on, _muchacha_, let's get out of here."

Seeiah lifts the bag of shoe pairs up to her chest. "I am right behind ya! Brodi, you coming along?"

"Yes, but I need one second first." Brodi catches me by surprise by turning towards me. "My, my, Roxanne, you certainly have changed! I trust that you've found some answers to your troubles?"

It takes me a moment to recall the last time I had spoke with Brodi. "You know what...yeah! I think I can say that I really do feel better since we met." It isn't until just now that I realize that I feel somewhat lighter than I could remember. Perhaps the weight of such a deep secret was more straining on me than I thought.

"That is wonderful to hear. May you go in peace and safety, especially after such an...unsettling hour." He motions back to Marisol and Seeiah, who follow his lead as they start the trek downhill. I'm about to say farewell, but Luther catches me off guard:

"Y'know, Ms. Schultz, I still got that Rhodium rock of yers back in the shack." I spin around to face him, as he scratches his head, "It'll take a while to get it back to ya, as you might reckon."

Incredible. What was before the single most profound thing on my mind all day yesterday has completely left my mind altogether. I think to myself for a minute; chasing after this precious metal has nearly cost me my life one time too many, and now that I've set myself on going back home to my family, only one opinion remains...

I don't care how rich I could be. I couldn't care less about the stuff now.

"...You know what, Luther?" I speak, knowing fully well on what I was giving up. "Why don't you keep it? You seemed to know more about it anyways. I'm sure you'll know what to do with it more than I ever could."

Luther's eyes widen, and he says, "Oh, well, wow then, that's mighty generous of you right there." He begins to shuffle his way away from me, with a bit more energy in his step than usual. "In that case, I better get on started with the digging. If you'll excuse me..."

As Luther walks away, with Marisol, Seeiah and Brodi far ahead, Griff stumbles up to me, looking over the damaged town. "Hmm...well, I guess it's just you and me now," he says, noticing that we are the last two left from the big group before.

"Yeah, so it seems," I say, although I have trouble focusing on him alone as my mind still swims in thoughts and emotions, although I've calmed down considerably since my mountain escape. "Of course, I don't think anyone wanted to stay much longer after everything that had gone down."

He nods, "True, true." An ironic smile appears on his tired face. "So! Your very first Advanced League SSX Tournament!" He raises out his hands to signify my achievement. I match his enthusiasm with a blank stare. "Is it too obvious to say it was your last?"

I mean to instantly say yes, but I hesitate. I decide to say, "I'm...rather confident that today is the last day I touch a snowboard." I break out into laughter - did I ever think that I'd ever get to say that? "Yes, I think one death-defying race from an avalanche with a broken board is enough for one lifetime."

"I understand that...but are you sure-" suddenly he pauses, holding his hand over his M-comm earpiece. He starts again, "Sorry, I gotta go. Elise wants me to see her off. I probably shouldn't keep a hospital helicopter waiting. Are you gonna stay here?"

My eyes linger before I reply, "Yeah, I...need some quiet time for myself. To think, and other stuff, you know?" I extend my hand to his. "Wow, I can't believe this is it! Will I ever get to see all of you guys again?"

"Relax, dude," he states, shaking my hand. "This is just the first goodbye, you got that?" He begins to step backwards, taking his board back out of his backpack. "And don't you _dare_ think you're getting off this easy! We'll all find a way to get you back on the slopes! Don't you forget it!" With that, he jumps down the snowy hill, landing on his board and sliding out of sight.

Now here I stand, completely alone, surrounded by half-covered buildings and a lingering silence. It's only now that I realize that it was really only to Griff that I had bid adieu; Kaori, Mac, Elise, Allegra, and the rest just left in the mess of it all. I never got to say goodbye to most of them.

And what about Peak Three, and Hidden Summit, even SSX in its entirety? Tedd Batty is going to flip out when he finds out about what was really going down with the race, Jack Nichols and his ulterior motive behind the _SSX Tournament Spectacular_. Does SSX even have a future at this point?

I sigh to myself, thoroughly exhausted with the day that has transpired. Everyone else seemed to know where they were headed, but I have no idea how I should start my trek back to Arizona. What in the world do I do now?

A short while later, I see a man, a couple meters from me, fumbling towards me through the snow from the right side of Hidden Summit. Despite all of the snow, it isn't extremely cold outside, so his plain jacket and snow boots are suitable for the current condition. What is so surprising is that he seemed to have come from nowhere, and he's heading straight for me.

He stops a few feet in front, looking directly into my eyes. It feels a little odd, since I don't recognize this man at all; he's a nearly a foot taller than me and looks no older than 20, with messy brown hair and mellow green eyes. The rest of face is very clear and bright, and I can't help but stare back at him.

I muster the courage to ask, "Um...sir? Sorry to ask you, but, what are you still doing here? Did you not see the avalanche just tear through here like, ten minutes ago?"

The man starts to smile, laughing to himself before saying, "You know, I should have figured." Immediately, my eyes widen - how could I ever forget that voice? "You tell a girl that you love her, and she completely cuts you out of her life!"

"Ash Morris, is that you?" I shout, but I don't wait for an answer as I race to him and attack him with a hug, nearly pushing him over as I bury my face in the side of his shoulder. I pull back out, and say, "Oh my goodness, I'm...I am so sorry for not recognizing you! Not that, uh, I ever did see you before. You can't blame me for that, can you?"

He glances down at the ground, heavy with the mountain snow. "No, I guess I can't." His eyes race back to mine. "Well, well, well...so _this_ is what overnight snowboarding sensation Roxanne Schultz looks like in person! It's quite the sight to behold."

I let out a chuckle, "It's not too bad on the receiving end here, Ash. I'm quite honored to meet the man who...who kept me going, after I had given up on making it off Peak Three alive." I start to tremble in place. It had slipped my mind, since it was, in fact, Ash who had triggered my confidence comeback. How could I ever repay him for that?

"By the way," He inquires, drawing the conversation away from my discomfort, "what happened back there, on Peak Three? You sounded like you were talking to me, but then I lost complete connection to your M-comm..."

"Oh, Ash, you wouldn't believe it! There was this explosion and..." I start to trail off. I wasn't too interested in backtracking over the most stressful minutes of my life. "You know, it's not really important. I'm here, with you, and that's what matters."

It's a weird moment, but I recognize that he's still holding me with both hands just above my waist, as I rest my hands on his shoulders. An unfamiliar color washes into my face. "Actually Ash, I need to tell you something. What I was trying to say into the M-comm before I was, um, incapacitated, was that I really do love you too...but, maybe it was only because you said you loved me, and I could tell you really, really meant it, and I wasn't sure what to say back...but now, as I stand here with you, I truly know that I share the same feelings as you do..." I begin to tremble once more, a terrible tension building up in my joints as I start to lose my train of thought. "It's just that, I've never been in, you know, in love, with anyone before...I'm not entirely sure of what should follow, now that we, uh..."

"Well..." He starts, bridging the lull in my voice, "if it makes you feel any more secure, I plan on kissing you, right now." I don't know why, but all of the tension inside me is let out in a forceful laugh, one that I immediately regret. "Only if that's okay with you, of course."

I shake off this bizarre feeling of hilarity and respond, "Ash, it absolutely is okay with me. I...I want nothing else but that."

"That's good," He states, moving his hands up to the sides of my face. "I really am in love with you, Roxanne." With that, he starts to move in, closing his eyes as his lips approach mine.

"No," I say, moving my palm in front of his lips and pushing his head away from mine. It isn't that I've suddenly lost desire to kiss him, but...I realize now that, for all of this time, I haven't yet fully committed myself to going back home as soon as possible. It's time to end this, once and for all.

Still holding Ash's shoulders in my hands, I close my eyes and overcome the unbearable anxiety in my throat. I think back on the dream I had the night before, the wall of snow reflecting a state of myself I had long since abandoned...

_I'm no longer running..._

_...I have nothing to run from._

"My name is Evelyn Prowwel." I slowly open my eyes and stare attentively into his. "Please, call me Evelyn."

I had no idea how anyone, let alone Ash, would react to my real name. It's the first time in four years I dared utter those two words - they sounded so heavy and strange, yet so relieving to release from the depths of my repression.

He seemed to be a little distant at first, perhaps confused about the sudden rejection and the name switch-up, but after a moment he smiles all the same. He answers, "Of course...Evelyn. It's a wonderful name." And at that, he pulls me closer, and I, no longer resisting the impossibly forceful rhythm within my chest, reach up to his lips and connect with him in a maddeningly fulfilling interpretation of the only physical act of love that I have ever so far taken a part of in my life.

In my mind, however, I knew that no matter how great our kiss would end up being, it would surely pale in comparison to the display of love Kaori and Mac had shared. Finally, even as I lose every single fiber of my being to the moment before me, one titanium thought remains, exponentially growing, ceaselessly screaming, filling my head with happiness...

_I...am FINALLY returning home._

END CHAPTER


	35. Ch XXXV: Afterword

**- AUTHOR'S NOTE - **

**Looks like you made it all the way through! When I started typing back in July of 2011, I anticipated maybe 50,000 words before I hit the end. Being a full-on novel at this point, I commend you for sticking through the read.**

**So what now? Well, I actually do have plans for continuing Roxanne's story, but I've decided to wait until the announcement of the next SSX game before I start working on any type of sequel to this ff. I expect something new from EA Canada within the next year or two, so it shouldn't be that long of a wait.**

**Until then, I'm going to take a break from online writing. I had story ideas for The Hunger Games, Team Fortress 2 and Portal, but outside of this online novel I've lost my interest in fan-fiction writing. Before I started this story, I always loved the idea of writing my own book, but I never had the experience or skill to write anything on my own. Now that I've written this story, I feel so much more confident in my ability as a writer, so I've decided my next long-term writing project would be a real book. Who knows? Maybe you'll see it on a bookshelf someday!**

**Finally, if you have any feedback or questions on this story, leave a review or message me, and I'll get back to you if I'm ever around. After three years, I accomplished something I never imagined I could do, and now I leave with the ability to accomplish so much more. Thank you so much for reading!**


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